Power Rangers: Operation Z
by SilvorMoon
Summary: My first series. Ah, memories... Fourth chapter - As the Space Rangers seek out an old friend's assistance, Karone suffers from a mysterious aliment. (Hm, wonder whose fault THAT is?)
1. Stained Glass Window

**_Disclaimer:_** The Power Rangers in Space and their various canon friends and enemies do not belong to me. All original characters DO belong to me, but characters and concepts will possibly be shared if requested politely. 

**

Stained Glass Window

**   
**

By: SilvorMoon

**

The universe was safe. Thanks to Zordon's heroic sacrifice, all creatures of darkness and evil had been destroyed or purified. The Power Rangers had returned home victorious to be hailed as heroes. 

This was turning out to be a problem. 

Cassie ambled into the recreation room and collapsed into her seat at the table. 

"Whew!" she sighed. "What a day!" 

T.J., Carlos, Ashley, and Andros nodded sympathetically. 

"We know how you feel," said T.J. "I'm beginning to see why Zordon had that rule about not revealing our identities. Not that I regret what we did, but..." He trailed off meaningfully. 

"Has anyone seen Zhane and Karone?" asked Andros. "I told them we were having a meeting today." 

"They were on the simudeck last time I saw them," Carlos replied. "If you want, I could go get them for you." 

"No, let them have some privacy!" said Ashley. "It isn't easy to come by these days." She and Andros exchanged meaningful looks. 

Since their triumphant return to Earth, the Power Rangers had been discovering the price of fame. Though they had no problem with credit being given where credit was due, there was only so much star treatment a sane person could stand. They were constantly being bothered by ardent admirers, autograph hounds, reporters, talk show hosts, movie agents, and on and on and on. It had been fun at first, but it quickly grew tiresome, and yet people had come to expect the Power Rangers to accommodate their wishes, so they continued in asking for interviews and autographs. As Ashley had mentioned, it was next-to-impossible to have any time away from their thousands of fans...a situation that was putting a crimp in a couple of romantic relationships. 

Momentarily, Zhane and Karone arrived, laughing over some private joke. 

"Hey! What have you two been up to? Getting into trouble?" T.J. joked. 

"Do you think we'd tell you if we were?" replied Zhane, grinning. 

"We just talked," said the more serious-natured Karone, taking a seat at the table next to her brother. "It's such a relief to be able to talk openly for a change, without half the population of Earth eavesdropping and asking questions. You'd think they would at least be a little worried about irritating me, of all people." 

Zhane sat next to her and put a comforting arm around her. Ironically, Karone seemed to be getting more attention than any of the others. Though only an honorary member of the team who had very little to do with the salvation of Earth (other than helping to make it necessary in the first place), Karone seemed to fascinate the planet's inhabitants. Her miraculous return from the dead, her previous association with the dark side, and her striking good looks earned her a lot of unwelcome questions, many of them concerning areas of her past that she would much rather have forgotten. Freed from the Dark Specter's influence, Karone was a friendly and sweet natured person who craved the approval of others, but the constant irritations of being world-famous was starting to put a strain on her, and she and her friends secretly wondered if some of her old habits might begin to resurface. 

"We just can't go on like this," said Andros. "and that's why I called this meeting. Something has got to change, and soon. What are we going to do?" 

"I could almost wish a couple of monsters had survived, so we could have an excuse to go somewhere and do something," Carlos said. 

"No such luck," said Zhane. "Believe me, I looked, and there weren't any. Something that evil would show up in this universe like a bar of soap in a coal bin...or maybe that should be a lump of coal in a soap bin." 

A faint metallic clatter preceded the arrival of Alpha 6. 

"Oh, there you are! I'm glad you're all here," he said. 

"Is there a problem?" asked T.J. hopefully. 

"No, not exactly..." said Alpha, a little taken aback. The Rangers looked disappointed. "But let me show you something strange." 

He led them all into the bridge. A computer screen was lit, showing an image of the black emptiness of deepest space. A few trembling, dying stars flickered in the background as their ancient lights burned slowly toward extinction. The jarring note in the picture was a long, horizontal slash of light, like a knife wound in the sky, shimmering and pulsating. 

"Whoa," Carlos exclaimed, "what is that thing?" 

"It's an anomaly," Alpha replied. When his answer drew only blank looks, he explained, "It's a flaw in existence, a tear in the very fabric of reality!" 

"Is it dangerous?" asked Ashley nervously. 

"Maybe," answered Alpha. "The laws of nature don't necessarily apply to it. It could do anything!" 

Cassie was staring at the rip with a worried look. "Is it just me, or is that thing moving?" 

"I've been monitoring it for some time now, and I've come to the conclusion that it's growing!" Alpha replied. "Furthermore, according to my calculations -" 

"Ahem?" interrupted a voice. 

"Sorry. According to D.E.C.A.'s calculations and mine -" 

"That's better." 

"- the rip began almost directly after Zordon died!" 

"So you think Zordon's energy wave caused that thing to open?" Andros asked. 

"In all probability," said Alpha. "It's impossible to say for certain without more data, but-" 

"Why are we standing here talking about it?" Zhane broke in. "What we really need to do is get out there and close it up!" 

"But it might be dangerous!" Alpha protested. 

"All the better," T.J. replied. "Is there any way we can do it?" 

"Well, probably..." admitted Alpha reluctantly. 

"Great!" Zhane cheered. "Adventure, here we come!" 

~*~

It wasn't actually that simple. The anomaly was nearly at the edge of the universe, and even at top speed, the Megaship needed time to reach it. 

That evening, Zhane and Karone met again on the simu-deck. They had programmed their favorite scenery: a small campsite surrounded by trees with a bright campfire and a night sky spangled with stars. It was versatile enough to fit any mood, and the trees and stars gave the illusion of complete privacy. 

When Karone arrived, Zhane was already waiting for her. 

*_I'm late,_* she thought, and smiled at the complex joke contained in that simple sentence. 

"Hi," Zhane greeted. "Pull up a log and have a seat...did I mention earlier that I like your outfit?" 

"Thanks," she said, gracefully taking a seat next to him. "Purple is my favorite color. It's the color of royalty...and of penitence." 

Zhane caught the distant note in her voice. "Do you still think about your old life?" he asked. 

"I do. I think about it a lot. Is that bad?" 

"It isn't bad. It's part of who you are," said Zhane. "You may think like a Power Ranger now, but you still move and talk like a princess." 

"Really? Hmm. I guess there are some things that stay with you." 

"Do you miss being a princess?" Zhane asked. 

"Oh, no! I'm happier with you all than I've ever been in my life...even when I was young, I think," Karone replied. "But...there are some things..." 

"Don't worry, Karone. You can tell me." 

"Well...I do feel kind of bad about Ecliptor. Maybe it's strange, but even though he was evil, he still had some good things about him, too. He believed in honor and loyalty and dignity...and he did love me in his way and tried to do what he thought was best for me. He couldn't help being the way he was made. He never could have been happy in a peaceful universe like this, but still, it doesn't seem right, somehow..." 

Zhane listened quietly, without comment. It was one of the things she loved most about him: he accepted her totally, expecting nothing of her. True, she loved her brother, and her other friends were all very dear to her, but there were some things they had never quite been able to understand. In their minds, "Astronema" and "Karone" were two entirely different people, one evil and one good, who had somehow come to occupy the same body. Only Zhane seemed to be able to comprehend the idea that the two were actually one, a complex being made of many different qualities, a person with hopes and dreams, likes and dislikes, and the capacity to love and desire love in return. Zhane didn't need labels for her. He had always loved her, ever since that first ill-starred meeting, and he loved her still, no matter what she was called. 

After a thoughtful moment, Karone spoke again. "There's something else, too. I have to wonder about those others. Not the ones who were destroyed, you know, but the ones who were healed." 

"They seem happy," offered Zhane. "I went to check on them one day, just to be sure. They've all changed their names and settled down to start new lives. What's wrong with that?" 

"Maybe nothing," Karone replied, "but then again, maybe it is wrong. I've been thinking about it. When you spend a lot of your time alone, you learn to think about things, and what I've been thinking about is that maybe they aren't supposed to be like that. I was never really happy as an evil princess. It wasn't really me, you know. It was just a part written for me by Dark Specter, and I was taught to play that part so well that I forgot all about who I really was. Who's to say that these others - Zedd, Rita, Divatox, or whatever they call themselves these days - can really be happy this way? Can you understand?" 

"Yeah, I think I can," Zhane replied. 

"I'm not saying that's how it is, just how it might be," said Karone. "It's just a thought that occurred to me one day, and I keep wondering...but I don't really want to talk about it. It makes me depressed." 

"Well, you didn't have to bring it up," Zhane reminded her. 

"Well, I wanted to talk about it to someone. I just don't want to talk about it any more." 

"Then what do you want to do?" 

Karone smiled impishly. "I want you to dance with me!" 

"I can't argue with that!" Zhane laughed. He clapped his hands and called for music, and the simu-deck computer responded by playing a slow song. Then he stood up and gallantly helped Karone to her feet, and she followed him gracefully through the steps of the dance. 

Neither one of them was aware that Carlos had decided to take a shortcut to his room. He had stopped in front of the simu-deck, and he had seen and heard most of what had transpired. He smiled at the dancers, who were still happily oblivious to his presence. Then he sobered and walked slowly down the hall. What he had heard gave him much to consider. 

~*~

Karone also returned to her room that night with a lot on her mind. Her conversation with Zhane had cleared some areas of her mind, only to shed light on new and unexplored ground. The habit of thinking about things, she mused, was difficult to break. Now she was thinking about her new friends and how much they had come to mean to her. She thought about her brother, as good as anything she'd ever imagined him to be and better, and smiled, remembering how he always seemed to brighten the moment she entered the room, as if he had just found her all over again. As for Ashley and Cassie, they were as good as sisters to her (and if things kept going the way they were, Ashley might become her sister in truth). She considered T.J., bold, fearless, and cheerful, a perfect foil for the often pessimistic perfectionist, Carlos. They were all such good friends, and they obviously were very fond of her...and that was what bothered her so much. 

Ever since she had joined the team as an Honorary Ranger, she had done nothing to show that she deserved it. Instead of helping her new teammates, she had been captured by her former allies and forced to return to their ranks. The thought of how close she had come to destroying the people she held most dear still made Karone shudder. Now, all the battles were over, and she might as well hand in her communicator and hang up her uniform, because there wasn't any way left for her to help...maybe. But maybe this anomaly would give her a chance to prove herself, the chance she so desperately wanted. With that hopeful thought in mind, she turned off her lights and went to sleep. 

~*~

It was the evening of the next day by the time they had reached the anomaly, though the only measurement of time they had was the clocks on board the ship, for there was neither day nor night in deep space. Up close, the anomaly was a thing of both terror and beauty, pulsing with spinning, swirling, multicolored lights that hinted at all possibilities. Its size was staggering, and it was still growing. 

Andros, cool and collected as always, was slipping easily back into his role as fearless leader. 

"Alpha, D.E.C.A., have you two been able to figure out how to close that thing yet?" 

"Not yet," Alpha admitted. "It's very nature is illogical; therefore, there's no logical way of figuring out how to proceed." 

"So what would the illogical way be?" T.J. asked. 

"If the hole is illogical, the illogical way would be the logical way...I think," said Zhane. 

"You lost me," Cassie said. 

"Well, we've got to do something," said Carlos. "It would be pretty stupid to come all this way just to give up." 

"It seems to me," Andros began, "That if it was Zordon's positive energy that created it, we would need negative energy to destroy it." 

"Negative energy is always useful, if you want to destroy something," said Karone to no one in particular. 

"So, you're saying...what? That we need a monster or something?" T.J. asked. 

"We need something evil," Andros replied. 

"But there _isn't_ anything evil!" protested Ashley. 

Suddenly, the ship began to tremble. The lights blinked wildly. The Rangers had only a few seconds of shock before the anomaly erupted around them and swallowed the entire ship in swirling light... 

~*~

They had no way of knowing if they remained in the light for seconds or eons, but when they emerged, the Rangers found themselves somewhere totally different. The anomaly was nowhere in sight. Instead, the ship was soaring peacefully above the grassy landscape of some unidentified planet. 

"What happened? Where are we?" asked Cassie. 

Alpha was already at the computer, searching for answers. "Another good question is, _when_ are we?" he said. "Initial computer scans indicate that we've been pulled through some kind of gap in time-space." 

"Then we'd better land this ship and get our bearings, before we get even more lost," Andros replied. "D.E.C.A., bring the Megaship down." 

"Beginning landing procedure now," said D.E.C.A. 

The ship landed smoothly on the surface of the planet. Alpha pressed a few buttons on the computer and it printed out a data sheet. He studied it briefly, then nodded. 

"The atmosphere on this planet is safe for you to breathe," he announced. "It will be some time before we are able to determine our exact location, so why don't you take the chance to explore?" 

"Sounds like fun to me," said Zhane. "Anyone else want to come?" 

The Rangers conferred and decided that they would all go. After taking some equipment from their lockers, they stepped out the forward hatch and into a new world. 

The planet's landscape was astonishingly beautiful. Lush green grass spread out for miles, undulating in a gentle breeze like an emerald ocean. Wildflowers bloomed in profusion, looking like the fragments of a shattered rainbow and filling the air with their sweet perfume scent. Near the horizon, there stood a verdant forest of stately pines, and, beyond that, a range of gleaming snow-capped mountains. The sun was just beginning to set, tinting the sky with a soft spectrum of color and highlighting dramatic clouds. The songs of crickets could be heard, punctuated by the calls of birds. Overwhelmed by this scene of peaceful beauty, the Rangers could only stand in awed silence. 

"Wow," Karone breathed. "I've never seen any place so beautiful!" 

"Me neither," Ashley replied. 

"This place kinda makes home look like a dump," said T.J. "Do you think there are any people here?" 

"It's hard to imagine anyone living in a place like this," Carlos responded. "It seems like they'd pollute it, somehow." 

Andros unfolded a small scanning device and put it to use. "Well," he said, "unless something has scrambled my scanner, I'd say there's definitely somebody here. I'm picking up the presence of a large group of life forms in...that direction." He gestured toward the setting sun. Then he frowned suddenly. "Two of them are heading this way!" 

The teens strained their eyes, staring off into the sunset. A minute or two later, they were able to make out a bright shape that was rapidly approaching them in long, gliding leaps. By the time it had come close enough to be seen clearly, they had all fallen into stunned silence once again. There was a man coming towards them...and he was riding a winged horse! 

Ten feet away from the astonished Rangers, the horse reared up on its hind legs, flared its wings, and gave a whinny like an eagle's cry. 

"Shh," the rider said soothingly. "Peace, my beauty, be still." The horse calmed at the sound of its master's voice. It stood and stared at the Rangers with curious, intelligent eyes. 

"Greetings, travelers!" said the rider, dismounting. "Greetings, one and all, and welcome to Imberwyst!" 

"Thanks," said Andros. "How did you find us so fast? We only got here a few minutes ago." 

"It was not I who found you," the rider corrected, "but our king, who detected you with his powerful magic the moment you arrived. Her Majesty the Princess felt it would be wise to send someone to investigate, and so here I am. It took only a few moments to get here, because our city of Lyrillis is only just beyond the horizon." 

"And I'll bet you make good time on that...that..." T.J. trailed off, realizing that he did not know the proper name for the winged animal. 

The rider laughed. "I take it you have never seen a Windsteed? My Tyllira is a fine specimen, swift and good natured." 

"She's lovely," said Ashley. She reached to stroke the Windsteed's velvety nose, and it made a twittering, bird-like sound of happiness. 

"I think she likes you," the rider said. "By the way, you seem to have my mount's name and not my own. I am called T'leo. What names do you all go by?" 

Andros introduced himself and his friends. "I'm Andros, and this is Zhane, T.J., Ashley, Carlos, Cassie, and my sister Karone. We're Power Rangers." 

"Power Rangers?" T'leo repeated. 

"Yeah, you know," said Zhane. "We fight monsters and stuff...or at least, we did until we ran out of monsters." 

"You're heroes, then?" asked T'leo. "That's wonderful news! Her Majesty will be so pleased. We are in need of help, you see." 

"Well, we weren't exactly planning on staying here very long," T.J. said. "We just sort of got lost, and we stopped here to figure out where we were." 

"And so you shall," T'leo replied, "in Lyrillis. It would be a blot on our reputation if we did not offer you some hospitality. Besides, you should at least talk to Her Majesty about our problem. You might have some advice to give, if nothing else." 

"I guess it wouldn't hurt," said Andros. He turned to T.J. "How about you? Do you think we should stay awhile?" 

T.J. shrugged. "No reason why not. We aren't in that big of a hurry, and if these people need our help, we should help them. That's what Power Rangers are for, right?" 

"Right!" the others agreed. 

"Excellent!" said T'leo. "Just fly your spacecraft - my, it's large - due west, and you'll be in Lyrillis in no time. I must go now. Her Majesty will be expecting a report, and I mustn't keep her waiting." 

As T'leo rode off into the sunset, Zhane asked, "I wonder who that princess is he keeps mentioning? It sounds like she's more in charge than the king is." 

"I don't know," said Andros, "but I guess we'll find out soon enough." 

~*~

The city of Lyrillis was every bit as ethereally beautiful as the countryside it was surrounded by. It looked like it had been designed by sculptors rather than architects: every building was a work of art, and every street was embellished by trees, fountains, and statues. Plant life flourished in window boxes, spilling down the sides of every edifice and creating shady tunnels as they formed leafy archways. Most incredible of all were the people. Many were human, but many more seemed to be creatures escaped from fairy-tales. Some had bird or insect wings, some had fins and splashed in the fountains. Some seemed to be part plant, and some seemed only to be made out of light. It was fortunate for the Rangers that they had been provided with a guide, a cheerful young man in a blue uniform, to lead them to the home of the princess, or else they never would have gotten anywhere. There was so much to see! At first, they kept calling to each other, "Look at this!" "Look at that!", but soon they were reduced silence and dazed stares. There was just too much to take in. 

At last, they reached the palace at the center of the city. It was made of gleaming white marble and crowned with tall, elegant towers with golden spires. The walkway leading up to it was lined with a forest of crystal columns that caught the light of the setting sun and threw rainbows everywhere. 

The guide stopped in front of the palace doors and knocked on them in an official manner. On the third rap, they suddenly swung inward, revealing someone who could only have been the Princess of Imberwyst. 

She was like a fairy-tale illustration come to life, slender and graceful, with long golden hair and innocent green eyes. She wore a flowing white gown, and a gold circlet crowned her curly tresses. 

"Welcome, Power Rangers! Welcome to Imberwyst, and to my home!" she said in a gentle voice. "Please, come inside." 

The Rangers did as they were asked, more than willing to let this enchanting person usher them inside. 

"Thank you for your hospitality," said Andros. "We're happy to be here. Your planet is amazing!" 

"I am glad you like it," said the princess, "but, unfortunately, we have fallen upon hard times. Oh, but I am being an imperfect hostess! I have forgotten to introduce myself. You may call me Stella." 

The Rangers introduced themselves one by one: 

"I'm called Andros." 

"I'm Ashley." 

"Call me Karone." 

"I'm Carlos." 

"Friends call me T.J." 

"And I'm Zhane," Zhane finished. In a gallant gesture, he took the princess's hand and kissed it. 

"I am honored to meet all of you," said Stella. No one noticed how her gaze lingered on Zhane. "There is much to discuss...but the hour is growing late, and you all must be tired from your long journey. I will have my servants escort you to the guest rooms, and we will talk more in the morning." 

The Rangers made polite protests, but the princess had been right. The events of the last few hours had made them weary, too weary to argue, and so they allowed themselves to be escorted to a set of guest rooms. There they each collapsed into their beds and fell asleep almost at once. 

Except Carlos. He tossed and turned for a while, exhausted in body but still wide awake in his mind. Something was making him uneasy, and he was finding it impossible to quiet his thoughts enough to let sleep come. At last, he gave up, got out of bed, put on his jacket, and went for a walk. 

Beyond the hall with the guest rooms was another, larger hall, which led off to others that spread onward and outwards like the roots of a tree or the blood vessels of some strange stone beast. Carlos made a short exploration of these, taking care that he could find his way back to his room in the dark. Finally, he came to a large room with picture window at the far end, and he went to have a look outside. The sun had set, and the city was lit up by innumerable lights, like earth-bound stars. The lights had an inviting air about them, and Carlos found himself thinking that if he went to any of the homes where they were lit, he would be welcomed like a long-lost brother. Night birds sang a sleepy lullaby, and a gentle wind blew, as if the entire world was breathing a sigh of contentment. 

*_It's so peaceful,_* he thought. *_It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I ought to be enjoying it...so how come I'm not?_* 

"I don't like it," he said out loud. "I don't like it at all." 

His voice echoed around the room, distorting his voice and his words: _Like it, like it, like it all..._

Carlos shuddered, chilled beyond reason by the relentlessness of this strange, all-pervasive more-than-goodness that made even echoes cheerful. He wished desperately that he was back in his snug bunk on the Megaship, or in his own room at home on Earth. But Earth was years and light-years away, and he had no idea how to get out of the twisting maze of a palace. Feeling defeated, he wandered back to his room and fell into the sleep of the physically exhausted and the sick at heart. In his dreams, he ran through the city of soft lights, pursued by some nameless horror that wore his own face... 

~*~

The next morning, each Ranger was awakened by the arrival of a blue-uniformed servant bearing a breakfast tray and a letter. The letter, written in Stella's precise, sophisticated handwriting, informed the Rangers that she would be too busy to meet with them that morning, but that they were free to explore her palace until she sent for them. 

Having nothing better to do, Carlos did as the letter suggested. He must have been slower eating his breakfast than the others, because when he had finished, the others were already gone, vanished into the labyrinthine mess of a palace, and it was hours before he saw any of them again. 

At last, Carlos came across Karone. She was sitting in a large room that was empty except for an elaborate ornamental fountain and unlit except for a number of intricate stained-glass windows. Carlos had to look twice to make sure it was really her: she was sitting perfectly still on the edge of the fountain, and in the dim light of the room, he mistook her at first to be part of the fountain's statuary. He knew the routine pretty well by now. In the last couple of months, Carlos had picked up on most of Karone's habits, and he knew that whenever she was confused or upset, she would sit and stare at the wall for hours on end. This appeared to be one of those times. 

"Karone?" he said inquisitively. 

She jumped. "Oh, Carlos, it's just you. I didn't hear you come in." 

"Of course you didn't," Carlos replied. "You were a million miles away. Mind if I sit down?" 

"Go ahead." 

Carlos took a seat on the wall with her - not too close. Karone didn't like to be imposed upon; if she thought she was being pressured, she clammed up. If you wanted to know what she was thinking, you had to be subtle. 

"These windows are really pretty, aren't they?" he remarked conversationally. 

"Yes...but everything here is beautiful," Karone replied. "It's almost creepy." 

"You felt it, too?" said Carlos in surprise. "I thought it was only me." 

"Then I'm not imagining it," Karone said. "I thought maybe it was a case of being blinded by light after being too long in the dark..." She trailed off, and was quiet. 

"Is that what's bothering you?" Carlos asked. "You know, that feeling that all this is just a little too perfect to be natural?" 

"Kind of...but there's more to it than that," said Karone. "I had a strange dream last night, and I was trying to understand what it meant. I dreamed that Stella and I conjured up millions of monsters, and they all ran into the city and tore it apart. It was scary. I don't know why, but something about Stella makes me nervous." 

Carlos remembered his own dream and shivered. At first, he had thought it was all in his imagination. Now, hearing about Karone's dream and her own feelings of uneasiness convinced him. They couldn't both be wrong. Something in this place was definitely not right... 

He did not have long to think about it, however, before one of Stella's blue-garbed servants appeared. 

"Er, ahem," he said stiffly. "Master Carlos, mistress Karone, Her Majesty will see you now. Follow me, please." 

As they followed the servant, Carlos said to Karone, "I've never had anyone call me 'master' before. I'm not sure I like it." 

"It's better than 'princess'," Karone replied. "Don't worry about it, Carlos. There are some people who just can't live without formalities." 

~*~

The Rangers were assembled in some sort of meeting room. Stella was waiting for them, accompanied by an older man. He was dressed in royal blue robes trimmed with gold and white, and he wore a gold crown set with diamonds and sapphires. His hair was white, but his face was youthful. His eyes were the same color as his robes, intense and full of wisdom. 

"Greetings, Rangers," said Stella. "Allow me to introduce King Arinon, ruler of Imberwyst." 

The man in blue gave a slight nod that somehow managed to suggest a full-fledged formal bow. "It is fortunate that you have come to our planet," he said. "Please be seated, and I will explain to you our situation. 

"For years, our planet has been persecuted by a group of evil and cunning warriors who call themselves the Dark Forces. Up until very recently, we have been able to hold our own against them, but somehow they have found a way to increase their powers dramatically. We have tried to defend ourselves against them, and so far we have been successful, but only at the cost of many brave fighters. We cannot go on like this much longer. Will you help us, Power Rangers?" 

"Sounds like fun to me," said Zhane. 

"We'd be glad to help," Andros agreed. 

Just then, a frantic servant came crashing through the door. 

"Your Majesty!" he shouted. "The south-west quadrant of the city is under attack! What should we do?" 

T.J. turned to Andros. "Do you think our morphers still work?" 

"Only one way to find out," Andros replied. "Let's Rocket!" 

There was a brilliant flash of light. Seconds later, Karone was left to watch as her transformed friends rushed off to do battle. For some reason she could not explain, she had the feeling that they had just made a terrible, sickening mistake. 

~*~

The Rangers arrived on the scene of the attack, and, for the umpteenth time since they had arrived on Imberwyst, were stunned speechless. They exchanged shocked looks. 

"Do you see what I see?" asked T.J. 

Ashley saw. "That looks just like..." 

"...the Psycho Rangers!" Carlos finished. 

"Man, I knew I should have tried harder to get those data cards back!" said Zhane. 

"I don't understand it," Andros muttered. "Zordon's energy blast should have destroyed them." 

"Worry about that later," T.J. advised. "Right now, we've got some fighting to do!" 

The Rangers leaped down to face off with the evil villains, who paused in their destruction to inspect their unexpected visitors. 

"And just who do you think you are?" the leader demanded. 

"We're the Power Rangers!" answered Andros. "We're here to put an end to you once and for all!" 

"Power Rangers? Never heard of them!" scoffed the leader. "And in case you didn't know, we have some powers of our own! I am Red Force!" 

"Blue Force!" 

"Black Force!" 

"Yellow Force!" 

"Pink Force!" 

"We are the Dark Forces," finished Red Force. "Prepare to meet your doom at our hands!" 

The two teams wasted no time beginning the battle. Weapons clashed and sparks flew. Amazingly, the Rangers found it relatively easy to best their opponents. For once, they found it possible to guess what the villains would do and counter it. 

Suddenly, there was a brilliant burst of light, so bright that the Rangers were blinded even with their protective masks. Then their sight cleared so that they could see... 

"Unbelievable!" murmured Ashley. 

"Impossible!" said Zhane. 

There was a newcomer on the field of battle. The Dark Forces rallied together behind him, and Red Force gave him a comradely clap on the shoulder. 

"There you are at last, Silver Force!" he said. 

"I'm always up for a fight!" answered the one called Silver Force. 

Once again, the Rangers battled the Dark Forces. They learned quickly that this Silver Force person meant business, and he was much stronger than any of the others. Still, Andros found himself strangely able to get him under control without too much difficulty. The Dark Forces finally realized that the Power Ranges had them at a disadvantage. 

"Forces, retreat!" shouted Red Force. The six warriors vanished in starbursts of colored light. 

"All right! Good job, guys," said Andros. "Is everybody okay?" 

"I don't know," said Zhane. "I think I - ow!" 

"What is it?" Andros asked his friend. 

"It's okay," Zhane assured him. "I just bumped my knee. It hurts, but I'll be all right." 

"I hope so," Andros replied. "We did pretty well this time, but I wouldn't want to take on those guys short-handed. It's strange, though," he mused. "I could have sworn I'd fought with that Silver Force guy before. His style felt so familiar, but I can't place it." 

"Their voices were different," Carlos observed. "I don't remember them sounding like that before." 

"Well, let's not worry about it," said T.J. "The important thing is, we won." 

"You're right," Andros agreed. "Let's go back and tell Stella." 

~*~

By the time they reached Stella's palace, the news of their victory had preceded them, and they were given a hero's welcome. King Arinon himself met them at the front door, accompanied by Stella and Karone. 

"You've done a magnificent job," said Arinon. "We are deeply indebted to you." 

"It was nothing. We were glad to help," Zhane replied. 

"Listen to that! Such modesty!" said Stella. "I can never thank you enough. You are truly heroic... Zhane, what's wrong? You're limping." 

"Well, I, uh, got a little banged up in the fight," he muttered. "Really, it's nothing." 

"Nonsense! Servants, this man is injured. See to it that he is taken care of," said Stella. Immediately, two servants arrived to help him limp back to his room. The others trailed along behind, leaving Stella alone with Karone. 

Stella stared, starry eyed, in the direction Zhane had gone. "He's so brave and noble," she sighed. "Isn't he just wonderful?" 

"Yes," said Karone quietly. "I always thought the same thing myself." 

~*~

Upon returning to his room after dinner that evening, Carlos found a hastily-scrawled note lying on his desk: "_Carlos - Meet me by the fountain. I want to talk to you. - Karone._" Carlos read the note quickly, and immediately went to answer the summons. He wanted to talk to someone, and Karone seemed to be the only one who would understand. 

The sun had set, and the fountain room was lit with innumerable sweet-smelling candles set in niches and candelabrum. With no light shining through them, the panes of stained glass looked black. 

Karone was sitting exactly as she had been that morning, but she glanced up as Carlos came in. 

"Hey," he greeted. "You wanted to talk to me?" 

"Yes. I thought maybe you would listen." 

"I'll listen," Carlos replied, "but I thought you usually went to Zhane when you wanted to talk." 

Karone made a face. "Zhane is with Stella. She hasn't let him out of her sight since this afternoon...and I don't think any of the others would understand. They all seem to be so happy here." 

"I think they're so happy to be needed again that they don't want to know if something is wrong," Carlos replied. "But something is wrong. There's something about this whole situation that doesn't add up. For one thing, those things we fought - the Dark Forces - looked just like the Psycho Rangers, but we all know they were destroyed...unless we're in the past, in which case they ought to be on Earth fighting with us. And they don't fight or talk like the Psychos. Their voices are different. And then there was the Silver Force... Karone, did you -" 

"Don't ask," Karone interrupted. "I've told you before, I don't remember a thing about the Psycho Rangers or anything else I did after I was reprogrammed....but I think that if I had created a Psycho Silver, I would have used it." 

"That's what I thought," Carlos said, "but the others want to go on pretending that these are the same old Psychos so they don't have to think that there's something more at work here." 

"So...what do you think it could be?" 

"I don't know," sighed Carlos, shaking his head. "I wish I knew." 

"Carlos..." said Karone, turning beseeching green eyes toward him, "Carlos, I'm scared. I feel like I'm falling and watching the ground come closer and closer and - and - and I don't know what to do!" 

Carlos laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll get to the bottom of this...somehow..." 

~*~

Carlos was somewhat surprised to see most of his friends gathered in the hallway outside their rooms the next morning. Zhane and Karone were both absent, but the others were all there, chatting animatedly. 

"Morning, Carlos!" greeted Ashley. "We're gonna go sightseeing today. Wanna come?" 

"Nah," Carlos replied. "I planned on working on my Galaxy Glider today. Besides, I wanted to see if Alpha and D.E.C.A. have figured out where we are." 

"Aw, don't be such a spoil-sport," said Cassie. "This will be fun!" 

"Thanks, but...somehow, I'm just not in the mood for fun today. I've got a problem on my mind right now, and I want to be left alone until I figure out what to do about it, okay?" 

T.J. shrugged. "Suit yourself." 

As Carlos walked away, Andros remarked, "You know, he's been really gloomy these last couple of days." 

"I think it comes from dressing in black all the time," Cassie replied. 

~*~

During that last, ultimate battle between good and evil, most of the Galaxy Gliders had been lost or damaged beyond repair. Only Carlos's had survived in more or less one piece. Since he had become a Lightstar Ranger, he had discovered within himself an aptitude and interest in all things mechanical, and so had made a project of trying to put his Glider back in working order. It had been a major undertaking, but now he was very close to completing it. Furthermore, concentrating on such a logical, physical task freed his mind to consider other things. He had a lot to consider. 

Carlos had spoken with Alpha and D.E.C.A. as he'd said he would. The only information they could give him provided more questions than answers, but he had a sneaking suspicion that it contained clues that would help him make sense of the present situation. The robot and the computer agreed on when they were - a few months before they had passed through the anomaly - but they were at a loss to say where. Though she claimed to be able to navigate all known galaxies, D.E.C.A. had never heard of Imberwyst. 

One thing Carlos was sure of: the Dark Forces were not the Psycho Rangers. At this point in time, they shouldn't even exist. So the question remained: who were they? Where did they come from? Why were they here? Carlos's train of thought could only go around and around in circles. 

~*~

Wandering the halls of Stella's palace, Karone rounded a corner and unexpectedly walked into Zhane. 

"Whoa, sorry about that!" said Zhane. 

"It's all right," Karone replied. 

"So," he said, "how has your day been so far?" 

"Not bad. And yours?" 

"Not good," Zhane sighed. "Stella's been following me around all morning! I just couldn't get rid of that girl!" 

Karone's heart leaped. "You mean you don't like her? But she's so sweet and beautiful and -" 

"And she's also the most shallow, self-centered person I've ever met!" Zhane replied. "I admit, I didn't think so at first, but the more I listened to her, the more I realized that it's all just an act! The only reason she acts like she's so good is so people will make a fuss over how sweet and kind and gracious she is." 

"But you spent half of yesterday and all of today with her!" 

"I told you, I couldn't get away from her!" Zhane protested. "I mean, what could I do? She's the ruler of this whole planet, and she's letting us live in her house and eat her food and having her servants wait on us. It isn't like I could just say, 'Go jump in a lake, Stella,' like I could with a normal person." 

Karone laughed. "I'll bet you would say that, too, if you thought you could get away with it." 

"Of course I would!" Zhane replied. "Listen, Karone, you don't have to worry. Nobody's ever going to replace you. I love you!" 

"And I love you, Zhane," said Karone, hugging him. "But if you don't mind, I want to go talk to Carlos now." 

Zhane laughed. "You're wicked, you know that?" 

"Yes," said Karone, grinning playfully. "Like I said before, some things stay with you!" 

As the two parted, Zhane called, "Hey, Karone! Got any ideas about how to keep Stella out of my hair?" 

"Tell her you've got a headache and want to be left alone," Karone suggested. 

"Do you think that will work?" 

"I don't know. Maybe. It always worked for Rita." 

~*~

Carlos, walking through the ever-so-perfect streets of Lyrillis, was jolted out of his reveries by the sound of an explosion. Looking around, he saw the citizens running around in panic. Standing on top of one of the buildings, surveying his work with satisfaction, was Red Force. 

"Hey, you!" Carlos shouted. "Do that again and you're in major trouble!" 

"Says who?" asked Red Force. 

"I do," said Carlos, "and I'm the Black Ranger!" 

In answer to the challenge, Red Force fired a blast of energy at Carlos, and clouds of smoke bloomed. When they had cleared, Carlos stood unharmed, resplendent in his jet-black power suit, ready for battle. Enraged, Red Force leaped down from his high vantage point, and the fight began. 

Andros had been right about one thing - the fighting styles of these Dark Forces seemed eerily familiar. Though Red Force was a formidable opponent, Carlos was able to get the upper hand. When a series of particularly crushing blows sent them both sprawling, the Black Ranger was the first to get back on his feet. He tackled his opponent and managed to wrap one arm around the villain's neck in a strangle-hold. Red Force struggled mightily, and finally managed to throw Carlos back to the ground. So tight was the Ranger's grip, however, that he took the helmet with him when he fell. He quickly scrambled back to his feet and turned to face the villain. What he saw made his blood run cold. 

"Give me back my helmet," Red Force demanded. 

Wordlessly, Carlos held out the helmet, and Red Force snatched it away from him. 

"This isn't over, Ranger," he snarled. "We will meet again, and next time you won't be so lucky!" A split second later, he was gone. 

Carlos stared at the place where the Dark Force had been, letting what he had just seen sink in. The pieces were beginning to fall into place, and he didn't like the pattern they were making. Abruptly, he turned and headed for the palace at a dead run. He could almost see the phantoms of his dream pursuing him... 

~*~

On her way to the fountain room, Karone saw her friend running down a side hall. 

"Carlos, wait up!" she called. 

Carlos stopped so suddenly he almost fell over, and turned to face her. 

"Karone! There's something I've got to tell you!" he blurted. 

"Have you been in a fight?" she asked. 

Carlos looked down and realized, somewhat to his chagrin, that he had neglected to de-morph. "Yeah, I was fighting with Red Force, and you'll never believe what happened!" 

"First, calm down and de-morph," Karone said sternly. "If you try to explain anything as excited as you are, I won't be able to understand a word you say. Come on, let's go into the fountain room and talk." 

A few moments later, the two were back at their accustomed places by the fountain, and Carlos had calmed down enough to speak coherently. He explained briefly his encounter with Red Force. 

"...and then I sort of accidentally yanked his helmet off, and that's when I saw his face." 

"You recognized him?" Karone asked in amazement. 

"Sort of...Karone, he looked exactly like Andros! I mean, _exactly_ like him! Same face, same eyes, same hair, even the same gold earring. But he was different, too. He was...evil. He had the same sort of icy look you used to have." 

"Hmm..." Karone mused. "Carlos?" 

"Yeah?" 

"Have you fixed your Galaxy Glider yet?" 

"Yeah. Why?" 

"Can I borrow it?" 

"Borrow it?" Carlos repeated. "What for?" 

"I want to check something," Karone replied. "I have an idea that might just explain this whole thing." 

~*~

It was evening when Karone returned. Light from the sinking sun set the stained glass windows on fire and gave rainbow hues to the water in the fountain. Carlos was waiting anxiously for her. 

"Well?" he asked. 

"I know where we are," she said, "and I know what the problem is." 

"Don't keep me in suspense! Tell me!" 

"We passed straight through a rip in the fabric of reality," Karone explained, "and now we're in an alternate reality." 

"Alternate reality? What's that?" asked Carlos. "You mean, like, another dimension?" 

"Not quite. We're in a whole other universe, but one that contains the same planets and stars and galaxies and dimensions...only different." She paused, trying to think of a was to explain more clearly. "It's...it's like a stained glass window. If I took that window over there and changed the colors of all the panes of glass, would the window be different or the same?" 

"Um...well, both, kind of." 

"Well, this universe is exactly the same as our old one in basic structure, but the details are different." 

"Same window, different panes of glass," said Carlos in understanding. "I see now. How did you know about that, though?" 

"Ecliptor mentioned these alternate realities to me, once," Karone replied. "For a monster, he was remarkably well educated, and he taught me a lot." 

"So," said Carlos, trying to get the conversation back on track, "what's our problem?" 

"The problem is, all realities, though different, are parallel. Linked, you could say. What happens in one has to happen in some way in the others. This reality seems to be in many ways the opposite of our own, and we all have our mirror images here, alike and yet opposite..." 

Carlos snapped his fingers. "That's why Stella seems so familiar! She's the good version of Princess Astronema!" 

"It also explains why she's so intent on stealing my boyfriend," said Karone, making a face. "And why Red Force looks just like my brother. The Dark Forces are the evil reflection of the Power Rangers. Anyway, this reality has a few flaws in it. There are a couple of factors missing here that we had in our old world. Looking around, I spotted a few of the most obvious - like Jupiter has an extra moon, and things like that. I would guess that's what caused the rip: something happened in our world that this one couldn't respond to, and it caused a shift in the balance of good and evil. But, Carlos, you and the others have been fighting your counterparts. If the evil versions of you are destroyed, the corresponding change..." She couldn't bring herself to finish saying what was on her mind. If the Dark Forces were destroyed now, it would destroy the Power Rangers. She would be safe, but... 

*_But I would never find my brother or my true love or any of my friends. I would be alone forever. I would rather almost anything happen than that..._* 

"That sounds...really bad," said Carlos. "We'd better tell the others." 

~*~

The others were all relaxing in the crystal forest outside the palace, enjoying the slow-motion light show it made in the setting sun. 

"Hi, Karone! Hi, Carlos!" Andros greeted. "What have you two been doing?" 

"Talking," said Carlos tersely. "Guys, we've got to leave. We've got to go home. We've got to get out of this place right now." 

"What do you mean?" asked T.J. "This place is great! We get treated like royalty here. Besides, these people need us." 

Carlos and Karone launched into a description of the problem at hand. The others listened with expressions of puzzlement. 

"Are you guys sure about this?" Andros asked. "I mean, it isn't that I don't trust you, but it's kind of hard to believe." 

"How else can you explain what I saw?" Carlos retorted. 

Unexpectedly, Zhane said, "Well, I believe them. I spent a few hours with Stella, and believe me, she's not as good as she looks. Besides, Carlos and Karone wouldn't lie to us, would they?" 

"I suppose you're right," said Cassie. "It would explain why the Dark Forces seem so familiar - we've all sparred with each other before." 

"So what are we going to do?" asked Ashley. 

"Just what Carlos said we would do," Karone replied. "We're going to go back through the anomaly, and we're going to try to set things right." 

~*~

It took a bit of debating, but at last the Rangers all agreed to Karone's plan of action. Once they had guessed that Imberwyst corresponded with a certain hideout of Dark Specter's, finding the anomaly was easy. Soon, they had it in their sights, a long gash in the sky, bleeding light. 

"Hold on tight," said Andros as he guided the ship toward the hole. "We're going in!" 

Once again, the light engulfed them, and they passed through the tear in time and space... 

~*~

The Rangers came out of a state of unconsciousness to find themselves in tattered civilian clothes, standing near the wreckage of a building. Andros wasted no time in contacting Alpha. 

"Alpha, where are we? For that matter, when are we?" 

The reply was prompt: "You're in Angel Grove. The date is November 21, 1998." 

"November twenty-first..." Andros repeated. That's the date of -" 

KABOOM! There was an earth-shaking explosion. Bits of half-cooled lava and flaming rock fell from the sky, causing humans and monsters alike to run in panic. 

"There went the Dark Specter," T.J. observed. 

"We've gone back in time!" exclaimed Ashley. "It looks like Karone was right: we are going to get a second chance." 

"Wait a minute!" said Carlos. "Where is Karone, anyway?" 

"Well, if we're here," Cassie mused, "then that must mean she would be -" 

"- on the Dark Fortress!" finished Andros. "And so is Zordon! Oh, man, I've got to hurry and get up there!" He whipped out his Battlizer. "Red Battlized Ranger Power now!" 

"Hey, wait!" T.J. called. 

Too late. The transformation was already under way. Andros screamed in pain as the Battlizer forced more power into his body than it could cope with, and it transformed into something that could hold it all: a super-powerful man-machine. Spreading his metal wings, he leaped up into the air and flew out of sight. 

~*~

Astronema was confused. Strange, incomprehensible images were flitting across her mind, images of people and places she could not recognize, and yet she felt as if she should. Frustration and confusion weakened her will, and she found that she could not make herself look away from the deep, inscrutable eyes that held her gaze. 

"Karone," said Zordon, "you are no longer under Dark Specter's power. You can use your powers to stop this madness." 

Ecliptor said something, but his voice sounded far away. Astronema took a few steps closer to the wizard, never letting her eyes leave his. 

"Look into your heart, Karone," Zordon intoned. "You are not evil!" 

The circuitry attached to Astronema's temple shot off a shower of sparks, and she winced in pain, but she still could not look away. 

"I - I'm confused," she stammered. "Who is Karone? That name...it sounds so familiar...I don't understand..." 

Zordon continued to look into her eyes, willing her to listen, to believe. "Karone is your name, your true name that was given to you by your parents. It is the name your brother called you when you were young, before you were turned to the paths of evil..." 

The circuitry shot off sparks again, and Astronema wailed with pain. 

"Aaaagh! It hurts! Get it off, take it away!" 

Ecliptor, ever protective, was at her side in an instant. He gripped the metallic circuit-box in one powerful hand and tore it away. Astronema gave a sigh of relief...and silently passed out. 

Ecliptor shot Zordon a fierce glance. "What did you do to her?" 

"Just be patient, Ecliptor," said the imperturbable Zordon. Ecliptor was too taken aback to think of a reply. 

At that instant, Andros come dashing into the room. He took one look at his sister and immediately ran to kneel beside her. For one awful moment, he feared that history was repeating itself, but when he shook her gently, she stirred and opened her eyes. 

"Andros...she said drowsily. "What's going on?" 

"Are you all right, Karone?" asked Andros. 

"I don't know. My head hurts." She touched her temple experimentally and brushed away a tiny trickle of blood from where the circuits had been. "Oh, blast all monster surgeons!" 

"I think you'll be all right,"said Andros, laughing with relief. 

"But Zordon isn't," Karone said. "Maybe we've still got a chance to save him!" 

"Save him?" Ecliptor repeated. "But he's your enemy!" 

With royal dignity, Karone got to her feet and looked the monster straight in his glowing red eyes. 

"I'll tell you who my enemy is," she said. "My enemy is the one who destroyed my planet, scattered my family, and tricked me into trying to kill my own brother! Now, you tell me, Ecliptor...whose side are you on?" 

Ecliptor hesitated only a moment. "I am always on your side, my princess." 

"Thank you, Ecliptor," Karone replied. "Now, both of you, listen to me. I'm beginning to get ideas for what to do next." 

~*~

The monsters and evildoers of the universe were in a state of confusion. The destruction of their leader had left them shocked, and Astronema's subsequent promotion to Queen of the Universe didn't help matters any. Furthermore, they resented having to withdraw their armies, but that had been the order: _All_ monsters were to report to the meeting plaza on the Samarian planet. There was a lot of grumbling among the various villains...which was exactly what Karone had planned on. 

She and Ecliptor stood on top of a stage carved from the living rock, raised above the milling crowd so that they could be seen by all. Though they appeared calm, they were inwardly tense as bowstrings. There was a lot that could go wrong when you were dealing with a mob of angry monsters, and that was exactly what they were going to be doing in the next few minutes. That was why there were five Power Rangers secreted away in the rocks nearby, hidden behind boulders and sheltered by dark crevices. Only Carlos had stayed behind; he and Alpha were working to find some way of reversing the mechanism that was draining Zordon's powers. 

Karone cleared her throat, and the assembled monsters fell silent. 

"Monsters and villains of the universe," she addressed them, "I would like to congratulate you on your victory today." The statement drew forth cheers and applause. Karone raised a hand to silence them. "You have all heard of Dark Specter's destruction. By our laws, I am your new monarch. However, upon careful consideration, I have decided to step down." 

There were shocked murmurs. Somebody shouted, "But why?" 

"SHUT UP!" Karone shouted, and the crowd was silent again. "I have my reasons. If I choose not to tell, that is my business." 

"Who's going to lead us, then?" another voice asked. 

It was time to deliver the punch line. Karone had to try very hard not to smile in spite of herself. "I do not care. Choose among yourselves." 

That statement resulted, as she had hoped, in instant chaos. The group that had been united moments ago turned into a screaming mob of warring factions. Putties, Cogs, Tengas, Chromites, Putrapods, Pirhanatrons, monsters of every description - all battled to support one person or another. The air was filled with noise and light and smells of scorched feathers and fur. 

"This looks like a good time to make my exit," said Karone. 

Ecliptor hesitated, uncertain. Suddenly, he felt the weight of a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to see the Silver Ranger. 

"Come on, Ecliptor," said Zhane. "You travel with us, now." 

Ecliptor nodded. Unseen by the crowds of monsters, Karone, Ecliptor, and the Power Rangers slipped away to the safety of the Megaship. 

~*~

"So," said Andros, "what's going to happen now?" 

Having made it safely back to the ship, the group was traveling back to Earth - or, more specifically, to the Dark Fortress that was currently orbiting Earth - to check on Carlos and Alpha's progress. 

"The battle will probably end in a stalemate," said Karone. "The monster forces are too evenly matched for there to be a clear winner. Without strong leadership, the union will break up, so there won't be any chance for another universal war for a long, long time. They'll probably spend the next few centuries bickering with each other, if I know anything about monsters." 

"So, the universe is safe, huh?" asked Cassie. 

"I'd say so," Karone replied. 

Suddenly, a computer screen blinked on, showing Carlos's smiling face. 

"Hey, guys! Great news!" he said. "We were able to reverse the machine! It might take a long time for him to get all his energy back, but Zordon's gonna be okay." 

The Rangers broke into cheers and hugged each other joyfully. On the other hand, Ecliptor looked resolutely glum. 

"Something wrong, Ecliptor?" Karone asked. 

"No...yes...I don't know," said Ecliptor. "I am glad that you are happy and safe, but... what about me? I could never serve anyone else but you, but I cannot go against my nature. I just...I just don't know what I'm going to do." 

Karone considered for a moment. An idea had taken root in her mind. "D.E.C.A., is that anomaly still open?" 

"The anomaly is still in existence but closing rapidly," D.E.C.A. responded. 

"That's all right, then," said Karone. "It will hardly take any time at all for him to transport himself there." 

"Of course! That's a great idea!" said Zhane. "We can send him to Stella!" 

"Stella?" Ecliptor repeated. "Who is Stella?" 

"Consider her...a second chance," Karone replied. "She is a part of me, my dark side. She will be everything you wanted me to be...and I have a feeling she'll be needing some instructions on how to be evil." 

"Well..." Ecliptor hesitated, but there was no mistaking the wistful look in his eyes. He turned to Andros. "You'll take care of Astronema...Karone for me, won't you?" 

"You have my word," Andros promised solemnly. 

Ecliptor turned back to Karone. "If what you say is true, then I suppose I'll go...but I will never forget you. I love you as I would my own daughter. Always remember that." 

"I will," said Karone. Impulsively, she gave him a quick hug. It surprised him, but he let her do it. "You'd better go now," she said. "The doorway will close soon." 

"Goodbye, then. I hope you'll be happy." He bowed to her one last time...and disappeared. For a moment, everyone was quiet. 

"Well, what do you think?" said Cassie to no one in particular. "Is Stella really going to turn totally evil?" 

"Not totally evil," Zhane corrected. "Some things always stay with you." 

Karone smiled at him, and he smiled back. Despite the sentimental parting she had just experienced, she felt elated. She had saved her friends, Zordon, and her former servant. She felt that now she was truly part of the team, a real Power Ranger. And she had found a kindred spirit in Carlos...perhaps, in time, the others would come to understand her as well. The future looked bright. 

"It didn't take Ecliptor long to make up his mind," Andros commented. 

"Well, I guess everybody needs to be needed," said T.J. thoughtfully, "whether they're a monster or a Power Ranger." 

"And with the monsters back in business, this universe needs Power Rangers again!" Zhane exclaimed. 

"Hey, that's right!" Andros replied. "Come on, you guys, let's go get Carlos and Alpha so we can head out. We've got work to do!" 


	2. A Dream Come True

**A Dream Come True**

  
**

By SilvorMoon

**

*_It really is poetic justice,_* Andros thought. For nearly a year, the Power Rangers had been scouring the universe in search of their kidnaped mentor, Zordon, while the forces of evil had shuttled him from one hiding place to another in an effort to keep him from getting found. Now the situation was reversed: the Power Rangers were working to keep Zordon hidden, while the villains of the universe tried vainly to relocate him. The young heroes had already fended off several attacks from various quarters, but the forces of evil were disorganized and weakened by lack of strong leadership. To add to the irony, the downfall of the alliance of evil was due largely to one of their former members. It made Andros smile just thinking about it. 

In the meantime, the Rangers had been adjusting to having Zordon around. None of them had ever had the opportunity to become well acquainted with him. It took quite a bit of adjusting to get used to conversing with a floating blue head...even though they had all been told that what they were seeing of him was not entirely what he was. It was only a projection of him, an image used mainly for convenience, just to give people something more or less concrete to look at. The reality was considerably more complex, and Zordon declined to give more than a vague explanation of what he truly was. Still, they had all come to accept his presence, and now it seemed like he should have been part of their little group all along. 

All of these thoughts went through Andros's mind as he was passing by the room where Zordon resided and had overheard the wizard conversing with Kerone. Out in the hall, he couldn't make out any of what was being said, but there was no mistaking Kerone's gentle voice or Zordon's oddly echoing one. Since Zordon had arrived on the ship, Kerone had formed a special friendship with the wizard. It was not unusual for the two to be found conversing for hours together. It seemed rather strange that two such different people got along so well, but Andros was pleased that his sister had found such a good friend. 

For a while, Andros just stood and listened. It turned out to be a mistake. The good mood he had been trying so hard to maintain evaporated almost at once, as his thoughts drifted back to his dreams of the night before...of the last several nights, in fact. It was always the same dream, a chilling distortion of the events that had taken place the first time around on November 21, 1998, Earth time. On that fateful day, the two people who were currently talking to each other in the next room had both died by Andros's own hand, and it had only been through the wildest of twists of fate and time-space that they had been brought back. Kerone never talked about it, and Andros wasn't even sure if Zordon could remember it had ever happened...but maybe he could. Zordon had ways of knowing things that sometimes defied explanation. It had never been Andros's intention to hurt anyone, but the circumstances were beyond his control. In his dream, though, things were different. His dream-self took a malicious pleasure in what he did, in listening to the last, terrified screams of the ones his waking self held so dear. Night after night, he would awake from these nightmares in a cold sweat, feeling sick. It was getting so he was afraid to go to sleep at night, because he knew he would have to go through with the dream again if he did. Every time, it seemed to get worse. Andros wondered what the dreams meant. He didn't think he could take them much longer. 

Andros was so preoccupied that he didn't even notice that there was a shadow in the hall in a place where no shadows should have been. He didn't see it move. He didn't hear it laugh softly as he passed by... 

*_Is something bothering you, Red Ranger? Have you got something unpleasant on your mind? Don't worry, mortal. In a little while, all your troubles will be over!_* 

~*~

No one had ever told Kerone that the universe was expanding. If they had told her that a few months ago, she might not have believed it. Her world had been a distressingly narrow place, with no available options but to destroy or be destroyed, and to acquire as much as possible before someone else took it first. These days, however, she would have accepted the idea without hesitation. At the moment, her horizons were expanding at what seemed to her to be a rate that was almost alarming. 

Some of the expansions in her life were good. She was learning so many new things: how to swim, how to ride a bicycle, how to play video games, and a multitude of other little enjoyments that ordinary Earth people had learned when they were children. She was also constantly learning and relearning that it was not necessary to be lonely. She had such good friends! Her brother, the other Rangers, Zordon, and even Alpha 6 had become major parts of her life that she couldn't imagine doing without. 

However, there were other expansions in her life that were troublesome. She was having to relinquish a few long-held notions, never an easy thing for anyone to do. Zordon, for example, had taken a lot of getting used to. When she was young, she had formed a vague image in her mind that Zordon was some kind of horrifying bogeyman, akin to the things that went bump in the night but on a much grander scale, and getting over her fear of him had taken some doing. Fortunately, Zordon was patient with her, and now she considered herself very fortunate to have befriended him. He was a good listener, and she found herself telling him details about her life that she had withheld from her other friends for one reason and another. He replied in turn by telling her stories from his own past. She had once remarked on how unusual it seemed that a former evil princess had become such good friends with one of the universe's leading champions of Good. Zordon had responded only by saying that she reminded him of his own sister, his confidant when he was young. Kerone found it hard to imagine Zordon ever being young, or having a sister, but she was flattered nonetheless. 

Still, there was yet another complication involved. There had been a time in the not-too- distant past when Kerone had thought that the only person who could understand her - really understand her - was Zhane. Now, that idea was being called into question. During her brief but eventful stay on planet Imberwyst, Kerone had made a special friend of Carlos. At first, she had been delighted, but somewhere along the line a new idea had occurred to her. It was true that Zhane understood her, but so did Carlos. So did Zordon, for that matter. Now she had to wonder, was what she felt for Zhane real, true love, or only some normal thing associated with friendship? This whole realm of friendship and love was new to her, and she was having to play it by ear. She argued with herself. Zhane was a good and loyal friend, but so was Carlos. Zhane was attractive, but Carlos was, too, in his way. Zhane's prankish antics made her laugh when she was down, but Carlos was always prepared to help her solve difficult problems. She just couldn't seem to decide how she really felt about either of them. 

*_Decisions, decisions,_* she thought to herself. She decided to table the matter. She would just have to take things as they came. 

~*~

Blackwind laughed to himself as he gently stroked the gleaming crystal he held. It gave off little glimmers of light as he touched it. At first glance, the crystal seemed to be nothing more than a strange gem, impressive in size and luminosity, but only a bit of magically created rock for all that. Appearances were deceiving in this case, however. The crystal, along with its three counterparts, was no ordinary crystal, no more than Blackwind was an ordinary ghost. 

*_It has been so long, so very long..._* Blackwind whispered to himself. *_But I will not be like this much longer. I _will_ have my true self back again! And once my powers have been restored, no force in the universe will stop me from taking back what Dark Specter stole from me all these centuries ago, not even the Power Rangers. __Especially_ not the Power Rangers!* His laughter was no more than a hiss of air, all he could manage in his ephemeral state. All that, however, was going to change...and the Red Ranger was going to help. 

Blackwind had not always been a ghost. He wasn't even sure he was a ghost now, but he didn't know what else to call himself. He was not even a shadow of his true self, now, only a swirling, shifting patch of blackness with a mind, a voice, a small amount of magic, and four crystals that were among the most evil and deadly things in the universe. 

Once upon a time, Blackwind had been the crown prince of a small planet in one of the more remote regions of the universe. He had possessed everything anyone should have wanted. He had certainly lacked nothing in material possessions; he had more money than he knew how to count, much less spend. He had been uncommonly handsome and charming - a real ladies' man, in fact. He had possessed a wide circle of friends and admirers. If power meant anything (and to him, it did), he had a great deal, not just politically but magically and physically as well. He should have been content - and perhaps he would have if it hadn't been for his younger brother Sungrass. 

It was rather unfortunate all around that Sungrass happened to be his father's favorite. The lanky and likeable younger prince was by far the most popular of the two, and Blackwind had resented it. When the king had decided to step down from the throne, he chose to ignore the custom of passing the crown to his oldest son and made Sungrass king instead. Blackwind had been furious, and had looked to dark magic as the answer to his problem. Within a few years, he gained enough power to overthrow his brother and lay waste to the entire planet...and then he had moved onward. 

At that point in the distant past, the union of monsters was still being formed in disorganized fits and starts. It was a time of opportunities, and Blackwind was nothing if not opportunistic. However, others were looking for ways to get ahead as well, including a certain creature of uncertain origin who called himself the Dark Specter. The monsters were divided: some felt that Blackwind would make the better leader, while others supported Dark Specter. Competition between the two was fierce, often resulting in violent battles. Many of the villains were impressed that Blackwind could hold his own against something so much larger and stronger than he, and the number of his supporters grew quickly. At last, Dark Specter devised a plan that would rid him of his rival forever. 

The plan involved a crystal, which, Dark Specter informed everyone, was a source of tremendous power. He let it be known that without it, his abilities would be severely limited, and placed a number of guards and traps around it, knowing full well that Blackwind was more than capable of thwarting them all. Blackwind should have realized that something was wrong, but he was vain and overconfident, and he walked right into the trap with a smile on his soon-to-be nonexistent face. 

The crystal was indeed a source of power, in it's way. It had the ability to drain away the essence of a person's heart, body, mind, and spirit, leaving nothing but a powerless shade. Blackwind had realized this as soon as he touched it, but even then it was almost too late to save himself. Summoning all of his strength, he split the crystal into four shards, each one containing a large part of himself, and run away with them. Dark Specter became Monarch of Darkness, and Blackwind became only a legend. 

But Blackwind had won in the end! Dark Specter was dead and gone, and Blackwind still lived! At first, there had been no noticeable change, but over the centuries, the power of the crystals had dwindled until he became nothing more than a dim shadow of his former self. He had lived through centuries of non-life, stripped of all physical being, unable to touch or carry anything but his precious crystal shards. Over that time, he had visited many places and learned much, and now at last he knew how to restore himself! There was still magic in the crystals, magic that could be used to return what had been taken from him. The catch was that they had to have a power source - a living, breathing power source, for only life could beget life. His power sources would have to be carefully chosen. They could recharge his crystals by only carrying them a few hours, empowering them with the desire and force of life. The stronger the source of power, the more strength it would return to him, and there was no force in the universe more powerful than teenagers with attitude... 

~*~

In a way, the arrival of morning was a blessed relief, but in another way, it came all too soon. Andros had spent another miserable night torn between the need for sleep and the fear of his nightmares. He was not in the best of moods at breakfast that morning. 

"Hi, Andros!" greeted T.J. "Sleep well?" 

"No! Don't bug me about it," Andros snapped. 

"Sheesh! You don't have to bite my head off," said T.J. 

"I'm sorry," Andros apologized. "I really am. I...I guess I'm not feeling so good this morning." 

"Are you sick?" asked T.J. with genuine concern. 

"I don't think so," said Andros. "No, that's not right. I know I'm not sick. It's just...I don't know how to explain it. I keep having this dream, and it's driving me crazy." 

"Do you want to talk about it?" T.J. asked. 

"I don't even want to think about it. It's just so terrible...T.J., do you think I'm a good person?" 

T.J. had to stifle the urge not to laugh. It was only the desperation in his friend's eyes that kept him serious. "Of course I do, Andros! You're one of the best people I know." 

"You think so? I'm not sure..." 

"Andros, I don't know why you're asking me this, because the idea is completely off-base. Trust me!" 

"Well, maybe, but...every night for nearly a week, I've had the same dream. Not exactly the same, though. It gets worse every time I have it," said Andros. He was having difficulty getting the words out. His mind was fuzzy and confused from lack of sleep, or perhaps something more. "In this dream, I see myself hurting people, people I care about. At first, it was Zordon and Kerone. You know what happened the first time we had that battle...I killed both of them. In my dreams, I do it all again, but I'm enjoying it! I'm laughing at them the whole time! And then I started seeing the time, way back on KO-35, when Zhane saved my life, taking that hit for me and all. I see him do that, but instead of helping him, I just stand there and laugh while that monster attacks him and...I can't even say it. But last night was the worst, somehow. It wasn't just the other stuff last night. I can deal with that, in a way, because I can tell myself it's all just a dream. But last night, I was reliving all my old battles. You wouldn't think that's so bad, would you? You'd think that would be fun, that I'd feel proud of myself. But you know, whenever I destroyed a monster, I laughed and celebrated. I killed something, and I was happy about it. It was the exact same feeling I felt in those other dreams...maybe I do feel sick after all..." 

T.J. listened in sympathetic silence. He didn't feel like laughing anymore. 

"Come on, Andros, calm down. Listen to me. Those dreams aren't real. They aren't anywhere close to real. I won't deny that everyone has a dark side - you, me, everyone. Doing good wouldn't mean anything if we didn't. But you aren't the kind of person who lets your dark side control you. You've got to remember that you've never purposely harmed anyone or anything without a really good reason. No one can be totally good, but you come a whole lot closer than a bunch of the people I know." 

"You think so?" asked Andros. 

"Would I lie to you?" T.J. replied. "Besides, if you really were a bad person, you wouldn't be having this guilt trip, would you?" 

"Well, I guess not." 

"Andros, there's nothing wrong with you but a hyperactive subconscious," T.J. asserted. "Don't let it get you down. You'll get through it. And maybe you should have a talk with Alpha, see if he's got something in the infirmary to help you sleep better." 

"I'll do that," Andros replied. "Thanks, T.J. You're a real friend." 

"Don't mention it," T.J. replied. "And, hey! I've just come up with an idea. Let me make a phone call, and meet me again this afternoon. I just might have a surprise for you." 

"I'll look forward to it," said Andros. He walked away, humming cheerfully, certain that his troubles would soon be over. 

Blackwind hissed with cruel laughter. *_Oh, yes, my dear Red Ranger, we all have our dark side. You won't be able to escape yours so easily, not while I'm around!_* His powers had been severely limited by his accident, but he was Blackwind, a Master of Air, and the realm of dreams was still his domain. 

*_I hope you've been enjoying the visions I've sent you, Ranger, for soon enough, they will be your reality!_* 

~*~

Karone came into her room to find Zhane sitting at her desk. 

"Zhane, what are you doing here?" she asked. 

"Waiting for you." 

"Well, could you come back later? I want to get cleaned up and change my clothes, if you don't mind." 

"Where have you been all day?" asked Zhane. "I've been looking everywhere for you." 

"I went to the park with Carlos," Karone explained. "He's teaching me how to play soccer." 

"I didn't know you wanted to play soccer." 

"I want to learn everything I can, and it was fun." 

"I'll bet. You played soccer for three hours straight?" 

"Well, of course not! We did stop and eat lunch. We went to that place near the beach - what's it called again?" 

"The Surf Spot," Zhane reminded her. "So you played soccer all morning and went to lunch. Who paid?" 

"He did, of course," said Karone. "You know I don't have any money." 

"That sounds like a date to me." 

"Zhane! How can you even think such a thing? You know I wouldn't do that to you." 

"I wouldn't think it if you didn't make it so easy for me. You've been spending an awful lot of time with him lately." 

Karone looked at the ceiling in exasperation. "I've been spending time with Zordon, too. Are you going to suggest I'm dating him next? Honestly, Zhane, you're being unreasonable. Carlos is my friend. Of course I'm going to want to spend time with him! But that doesn't mean he's going to replace you. Now, please go away." 

"I'm going," said Zhane, "but you'd better think carefully while I'm gone. Don't make the wrong decision." 

"There's no decision to make," Karone replied. "You're the only one for me. You know that." 

The door to her room slid shut. Karone collapsed onto her bed and buried her face in her pillow. She had been trying to keep it out of her mind, but Zhane's thinly veiled accusations were stirring up her own doubts. She was trying to be truthful to Zhane, but how could she when she wasn't even sure what she was feeling herself? 

"What if he's right?" she whispered. "What if he's right?" 

~*~

"So, T.J., what's the big surprise?" 

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?" T.J. replied. 

T.J. and Andros were making their way down a peaceful little suburban street with rows of neat houses on either side. Andros was not quite sure what was going to happen, but he had a feeling it would be interesting. Despite questioning, T.J. had declined to give so much as a hint as to what his surprise was, saying only that Andros would figure it out soon enough. 

At length, they came to a small house near the end of the lane, distinguishable from the others by the fact that the front lawn needed mowing, there were no flowers growing around its walls or in hanging baskets, and there was a very impressive automobile parked in the driveway. 

"Here we are!" T.J. announced. 

"Where's here?" asked Andros. 

"A good friend of mine lives here sometimes, when he's not on the road," T.J. replied. "I want you to meet him. If anyone can help you out, he can." 

T.J. opened the door and ushered Andros inside. "Hello! Anyone home?" he called. 

"Just a minute!" a voice called back. "Just make yourself at home." 

With a casual shrug, T.J. took a seat at the kitchen table and gestured for Andros to do the same. Andros sat, and, just to pass the time, began to inspect the premises. For the most part, it was a Spartan environment with sparse furnishings and neutral colors, but there were splashes of color that caught his eye. Through an open door, he could see a living room decorated in shades of pale green. A wooden shelf displayed a number of shiny golden trophies, some for karate tournaments and some displaying cars and checkered flags. More interesting to Andros was a large, framed photograph of what he assumed were Power Rangers from some other time. On the table in front of him, among a jumble of bills and junk mail, was an open envelope containing a piece of folded pink stationary and a photograph of a pretty young lady. According to the return address, the letter had come from London, and had been written by someone named Katherine Hillard. 

"His girlfriend," T.J. explained, following his friend's gaze. "She's nice. I met her a couple of times." 

Just then, a smiling young man walked in. "Hi! Sorry to keep you guys waiting. I was working on my car a while ago, and I was trying to get cleaned up. Man, I haven't seen you in a long time, T.J. How have you been?" 

"I've been great," T.J. replied. "By the way, I'd like to introduce my friend Andros. Andros, this is Tommy." 

"Glad to meet you," said Tommy. The two young men shook hands. "T.J. tells me you have a problem. Is that right?" 

"Yeah. Can you help me?" 

"Well, that depends on what the problem is," Tommy replied. "T.J. didn't tell me much on the phone. Oh, is there anything I can get you guys? A cola or something?" 

"Cola?" Andros repeated, momentarily perplexed. "Oh, you mean a soda. Yes, please." 

Tommy looked at T.J. quizzically. 

"Andros is from outer space," T.J. explained. "Sometimes he still gets a little mixed up." 

"Oh, I see," said Tommy. He walked over to the fridge and began to rummage around inside. 

"He didn't seem very surprised," Andros commented to T.J. 

"He shouldn't be," said T.J. "Don't worry, Andros. You can tell Tommy anything. I wouldn't have brought you to him if you couldn't." 

"How about you, T.J.?" called Tommy from the depths of the refrigerator. "Do you want something to drink?" 

"No, but thanks anyway," T.J. replied. "You two can talk better without me here. I'll see you some other time, okay?" 

"Okay, T.J. It was nice seeing you. Come back some other time and I'll give you and your friends tickets to my next race," Tommy replied. 

T.J. said goodbye and left. After he had gone, Tommy brought two dark red cans from the fridge and handed one to Andros. 

"Hope you like this stuff. It's all I've got," he said. "I wasn't really expecting company. Let's talk in the living room. It's a little more comfortable than any of the other rooms in this place." 

Andros had no objection to this, so they both went into the other room. They sat across from each other on either side of a small coffee table. Tommy's chair was under the Power Rangers picture, and he noticed Andros looking at it. 

"Pretty cool, don't you think?" he asked. "Those were the good old days! I'm happy now, but I still sort of miss being a part of the team." 

"You were a Power Ranger once?" Andros asked in surprise. 

"For nearly five years," Tommy replied, "and I was the leader for most of that time." 

"I'm impressed," said Andros. "Being a Power Ranger is hard work, I know." 

"Really hard, sometimes," Tommy replied. "So, what did you want to talk about?" 

"Well, I don't exactly know how to start. It's just that...well, like I said, it's hard being a Ranger, and lately I've been wondering if I'm good enough. These last few nights, I've been having these awful dreams..." 

Slowly and painfully, Andros explained to his new friend the content of his nightmares and explained his fears to his attentive listener. When he had finished, Tommy got up and walked over to a bookshelf. 

"Let me show you something," said Tommy. "Now where did I put that...aha! Here we go!" He pulled a battered old scrapbook down from its shelf and set it down on the table. Almost reverently, he opened it to a page containing a carefully preserved piece of newspaper. "Here! Have a look at this." 

Andros looked. There was a picture depicting a person in a green costume of a familiar style. The headline read, "Green Ranger Attacks Warehouse District." Flipping through a few other pages showed him more of the same. 

"What is this?" Andros asked. 

"That's how I got my start," said Tommy. "That person there is me, the infamous Green Ranger." 

"You were one of the villains?" asked Andros incredulously. 

"For a little while...but obviously, I didn't stay there. It was probably the hardest thing I've ever done, trying to get past everything I did during that time, but I did get over it, and the next few years were the best times of my life. But it was worth it. Turn the page." 

Andros did as he was told, and found a different picture. It was very similar to the one on the wall, depicting five Rangers rallied together behind a sixth in white and gold armor. The Green Ranger was conspicuously absent. 

"Is that one you?" asked Andros, pointing at the White Ranger. 

"Yeah. The new leader of the team. It was one of the proudest moments of my life. Now, if I could have a stellar career as leader of the Power Rangers after everything I did, imagine what you can do." 

~*~

Andros left Tommy's house feeling a whole lot better. Between T.J.'s support and Tommy's story, he felt confident that he would be okay, that everything would work out all right. He also felt tired. After not getting a decent night's sleep in days, he felt entitled to a nap. Confident that his nightmare was already a thing of the past, he went to his room, took off his boots and jacket, and curled up peacefully in his bed. 

*_...The sword he held in his hands glowed like a strip of steel lightning, slashing through everything in its path. He was dressed in armor, shiny black armor trimmed in crimson. All around him, shadowy enemies tried to attack him, but nothing could pierce his invincible armor. He could defy gravity, moving with impossible speed and precision. The glowing sword shattered his enemies's weapons as if they were dry sticks and mowed the wielders down like grass. It didn't matter who he was fighting or why; nothing mattered but the joy of movement, strength, and victory. He laughed out loud. He had never felt so able and confident. He felt like he could do anything! It wouldn't have mattered to him if the battle never ended._

_But there was someone who did want it to end. His sister was suddenly beside him, grabbing his arm and pulling it, trying to stop him from using his beautiful sword._

_"Andros! Andros, stop it, please!" she begged._

_But Andros did not want to stop. With a powerful pull, he threw her off balance, and she fell into a deep crevice at his feet. He laughed again. No one would ever stop him now, no one..._* 

Lurking in the shadows, Blackwind gave a whispery laugh. *_You won't get away from me so easily, Red Ranger!_* he said. *_You will belong to me soon, and nothing you or your friends can do will save you!_* 

~*~

When Andros awakened from his dream, he was feeling less than refreshed. It seemed his dreams were going to be harder to get rid of than he had thought. Still, this one was a little different than the others. There was something exhilarating about it. Even though he was terrified by the idea that he had the capacity to cause such widespread destruction, it frightened him even more to realize that he had been enjoying it. Even now, he could feel the weight of the armor on his body and the sword in his hands...yet he had moved like a dancer, like the wind, like no weight in the world could have held him down. He had felt such power, such freedom, and a part of him longed to feel it again. Feeling uneasy, unrefreshed, and with a slight headache, he left his room for dinner, hoping that a good meal and a change of scenery would help to clear his thoughts. 

Even before he reached the room that housed the synthetron, he heard the sound of voices raised in disagreement. Coming closer, he recognized them as belonging to Zhane and Karone. 

"...for the last time, I'm telling you, I am _not_ cheating on you!" 

"Oh, yeah? Well then, why this 'Let's just be friends' business all of a sudden?" 

"I've already told you, it has nothing to do with Carlos. It's just that I'm a little confused right now, and I don't want to be committed to anyone until I understand what I'm doing. It just wouldn't be fair to you." 

"_This_ isn't fair to me! Do you expect me to just sit and twiddle my thumbs and wait for you to come back while you go traipsing off after some other guy?" 

"I never said anything about doing that! That's your idea." 

"Just what is going on in here?" Andros snapped. 

"Its all her fault!" "It's all his fault!" Zhane and Karone both tried to tell their sides of the story at once. Andros put his hands over his ears. 

"QUIET!" he yelled. "One at a time!" 

"Your sister's been cheating on me!" Zhane yelled. 

"I was not!" 

"Whatever you call it, you're dumping me for no good reason." 

"I am not! I just said-" 

"I don't care what you said. I know what you meant. It means I'm out and he's in." 

"No! Andros, tell him I'm not cheating on him." 

"Tell her she's being selfish!" 

"Tell him he's being even worse!" 

"Tell her-" 

"SHUT UP!" Andros just couldn't take anymore. "Stop shouting at me! Stop shouting! Just stop!" He raised one fist angrily. 

"Andros!" Karone grabbed his arm. "Andros, please don't!" 

Without really meaning to, Andros wrenched his arm free of her grip. She lost her balance and fell, crashing into the table. She struck her head on the bench and slumped to the floor, unconscious. 

Andros stared at her a moment, uncomprehending. As the reality of what he had just done sunk in, his face paled. With a look of terror, he ran out of the room. 

~*~

The sun was setting. Most of the people in this part of Angel Grove had closed up their businesses and gone home to their families. It was very lonely...which was fine with Andros. He didn't want any people around. For the moment, he just wanted to run and run until he had exhausted the flight instinct and worked the terror out of his body. 

*_A dream come true...people always talk like that's such a good thing,_* he thought, *_but not for me..._* In retrospect, the dreams seemed like warnings. He had seen that he would hurt his sister, and he had. He had nearly hurt his own best friend for no good reason, just because he was stressed and angry and felt like attacking something. 

*_Maybe...maybe my dark side really is getting out of control!_* he thought. He shuddered. 

At last, he could run no further, and he stopped to catch his breath. Once his breathing returned to normal and his heart had stopped pounding in his ears, he became aware that someone was watching him. 

"Hello? Who's there?" he called. 

*_A friend,_* a voice replied. The voice was soft, barely a whisper. 

"Where are you? I can't see you." 

*_Often, that which is most important is unseen,_* whispered the voice. *_However, I am an expert at seeing the unseen. For example, I can see that you are afraid._* 

Andros looked around nervously. "Quit playing games. Come out where I can see you." 

In the deepest shadows, something stirred. From out of a dark alley came...a shadow. A bit of shapeless darkness, nothing more. 

"What are you?" asked Andros, aghast. 

*_I am only a wandering spirit, the ghost of one who was once the greatest sorcerer in the universe. Now, I am but a shade of a my former self, with only a tiny fraction of my former powers...but I have enough to help you with your present difficulty._* 

"Why would you want to help me?" 

*_I want to be your friend,_* the shadow said smoothly. *_We can help each other._* 

"I don't need your help, thanks," said Andros, backing slowly away. 

*_Don't you? Don't you want to know how to rid yourself of your nightmares?_* 

"How did you know about that?" 

The shadow laughed. *_My good man, I am an Aeromancer, a Master of Air. I know everyone's dreams. I know what your problem is, and I can help you._* 

"What do you mean?" Andros asked, curious in spite of himself. 

*_Just look at these,_* the shadow replied. From out of nowhere, it produced four crystals, each the circumference of a quarter and faceted like diamonds. They were in vivid colors: blood red, fire blue, topaz, amethyst. Fascinated by the brilliant gems, Andros put out one hesitant hand to touch the red crystal. The shadow quickly whisked it away. 

*_No, that wouldn't do you any good. That is the Blood Crystal, something you might want to avoid,_* it said. *_What you want is this: the Soul Crystal!_* 

It held up the blue gem for Andros to get a closer look. It flashed like a handheld star. Its depths seemed cool and tranquil, like a clear pool of still water. 

"It's beautiful," said Andros. He was forgetting his uneasiness with the strange specter. The crystal was so incredibly dazzling, and the shadow, though eerie to look at, had a friendly and sophisticated voice and manner that inspired confidence. "What does it do?" 

*_It very powerful magic,_* the shade said gravely. *_You need only to carry it close to you for a little while, and it will separate what is good in you from what is bad. Imagine: your dark side can be locked away in this gem forever, and you will be free!_* 

Andros was astounded. It seemed to good to be true... but he wanted it to be true. "Is it possible?" he whispered. 

*_Of course it's possible,_* the shadow replied. *_Didn't Zordon do the same thing for others?_* 

"You know about that?" 

*_Of course. I told you, I can see your thoughts and dreams. This magic is much the same as his. The Soul Crystal is part of my life force. I am no longer capable of using it. I want you to use it for me, and we will both reap its benefits._* 

It sounded fair to Andros. He had a trusting nature, and he wanted so desperately to be free of these terrible dreams that he would have at least considered making a deal with anyone. He nodded and took the crystal. It was cool, and it tingled like electricity on his skin. He almost swore he could see the shadow smile. 

*_You may go to sleep tonight without fear,* it said. *I assure you, your dreams will trouble you no longer._* 

"Thanks a lot," said Andros with genuine gratitude. 

*_No,_* the shadow replied. *_It is I who should be thanking you. Go now. Your friends will be worried about you._* 

With a nod of acknowledgment, Andros teleported back to the ship. 

~*~

While Andros had been having his conversation with Blackwind, the other Rangers had all been concerned with Karone. Zhane had carried her to the infirmary in hopes that Alpha could do something to help her. All the Rangers waited patiently for the robot's diagnosis. At last, he finished his battery of tests and announced that there was no permanent damage. Everyone breathed a little easier after that announcement, but they were still concerned about their leader's actions. 

"It really isn't like Andros to snap like that," Ashley remarked. 

"I guess everybody loses it once in a while," answered Carlos. 

"You gotta give him a break," said T.J. "He hasn't been feeling too well these last few days...he's sort of stressed out. Being yelled at was probably the last straw." 

"I guess we were being a little rough on him," Zhane admitted. 

"What were you guys shouting about, anyway?" asked Cassie. "I could hear you all the way off in my room!" 

"It was...nothing," said Zhane. "Nothing at all." 

"Well, as long as Karone's going to be okay, I guess we all ought to get back to what we were doing," said T.J. "No sense in letting our guard down." 

"Shouldn't one of us stay here with her and, you know, keep an eye on her?" asked Zhane. 

Cassie gave him a knowing look. "And I suppose you want to volunteer for the job?" 

Zhane shrugged. "Why not? I've finished all my duties for today, and it is kind of my fault, in a way." 

"Suit yourself," said T.J. The other Rangers wandered off to tend to their own business, leaving Zhane to his vigil. 

For many minutes, he simply sat, thinking. He and Karone had disagreed before. Actually, their first date - such as it was - had resulted in a fairly violent argument. Much later, they had talked about the incident and put the pieces together. Neither one had known the full story until then, and knowing the truth had made them wish they had talked things out sooner. That time, it had been Karone who had been unwilling to listen, but thinking of that incident made Zhane wonder if maybe this time it was he who was being unfair. 

At last, Karone began to stir. Her eyes flickered open, and she brought one hand up to gingerly touch the large bump on her head. 

"Ow..." she whimpered. "Not again! And I just got healed up from the last time, too." 

"Are you okay?" Zhane asked. 

"I guess so," she answered. "First circuit boxes, now this. What happened?" 

"You...had a little accident," said Zhane. "We kinda had an argument, and things kinda got out of hand." 

"That's right. I remember now... Zhane?" 

"Yeah?" 

"Are you still angry at me?" 

"Not really," Zhane replied. "I'm just a little confused...but I'm willing to listen, if you want to try to explain." 

"I don't quite know what's wrong with me. I just can't decide how I feel. I mean, you're such a good friend, and I care about you a lot. I used to be so sure that you were my one and only...but then I started to really get to know the others, and...I just don't know where I stand anymore. Everything is still so new to me. I don't understand it all yet." 

"Oh." Zhane thought about this a while. "Well, I'm not exactly a wise old man on a mountain, but maybe I can still give you some good advice. You know what your problem is?" 

"What?" 

"You think too much." 

"What do you mean?" 

"I mean you're trying too hard to understand. Just relax a while. Just be. Things will sort themselves out." 

"I didn't know you were a philosopher, Zhane," Karone said teasingly. 

"What? Didn't you ever think there might be more to me than a handsome face?" Zhane replied. "But if you really want to find the answers, why don't you ask Zordon? He knows just about everything." 

"I'll do that," said Karone. "Thanks, Zhane. Thanks a lot." 

"You're welcome," Zhane replied. He got up to leave, but stopped as he reached the doorway. "By the way..." 

"What?" 

"No matter what...I still love you." 

Karone managed a small smile. "I'll remember that." 

~*~

Andros was very quiet at dinner. The others respected his wish to be left in peace, and did not speak to him or comment upon his silence. When the meal was over, he said that he was very tired, and wished to go to bed early. The others promised not to disturb him. Though he had been sleeping only a short time ago, he felt physically and emotionally exhausted, and he was asleep almost before his head touched his pillow. 

He should have been listening more closely to his shadowy helper's words. Blackwind had promised only that the dreams would not bother Andros again...but that did not necessarily mean they would not come. 

*_...Once again, Andros dreamed he was on the battlefield in his impenetrable armor and carrying his gleaming sword. Everything was so real, so vivid! He could see, hear, and feel every detail. The euphoria of the previous night had returned also, stronger than ever. He was invincible, more powerful than a hundred normal warriors. He had never felt so completely alive._

_Somewhere off in the distance, he could see the shadow that his dream self recognized as his friend Blackwind, who had given him the fantastic armor and weapon. Surrounding the shade were others: the Power Rangers, Karone, and Tommy. They were threatening him, trying to destroy him. Andros was enraged, and he flew across the distance to cut them all down. Finishing the final maneuver, he whirled around and found Zordon there behind him. He slashed his sword across the blue energy tube, and waves of light spread out from it and destroyed everything they touched - except for Blackwind and Andros himself. They stood on a tall hill, and the entire world spread out below them. Andros knew with the certainty that dreams give that he had won it all for himself, and he laughed._

_"All this is but a vision of what could be," said Blackwind. "Would you choose it as your destiny?"..._* 

In his sleep, Andros mouthed a single word: "Yes!" 

Slowly, he opened his eyes. They glowed a brilliant shade of blue, just like the crystal still hidden safely in his pocket. 

~*~

Karone was late getting back to her room that night. She had taken Zhane's advice about talking to Zordon, and found it to be sound. The ancient wizard had been to many places and known many people of all walks of life, and he had learned much. Though somewhat shy of explaining such a personal dilemma with anyone, Karone had told him about her confusion, and he had helped her. Their conversation, taking many twists and turns down side roads, had been enlightening but long. To Zordon, trapped in his time warp, the past and present often blurred with the future, and he was not the best judge of time, so it was past midnight when Karone finally said goodnight and headed for her room. 

As she was walking down the hall, she was surprised to hear a noise. Old habits left over from the days when unwariness could have spelled her demise at the hands of an assassin caused her to duck into the shadows and hide, heart pounding with conditioned fear. She was just chiding herself for being afraid of things that went bump in the night when she suddenly saw something very strange. 

Andros was running down the hall - or at least, doing something very like running. He moved swiftly, almost silently, with his feet barely touching the ground. There was an easy smoothness to his gait that seemed unnatural. The expression on his face gave her chills, even more than the blue light emanating from his eyes. Karone waited until he was gone, then turned and moved as quietly as she could in the direction of her friends's rooms. 

Moments later, T.J. was being shaken awake. He rolled over groggily and opened one eye. 

"Karone? What are you doing here?" he asked. "It's the middle of the night!" 

"Something's wrong with Andros," Karone replied. "I saw him leaving the ship." 

"So what? Maybe he couldn't sleep or something," said T.J. 

"There's more to it than that," Karone insisted. "There was something strange about him. I checked in his room; I could feel traces of evil magic there." 

"You know magic?" asked T.J. 

"I couldn't have survived this long without it. T.J., Something is really wrong. The Andros I know would never go anywhere without this." 

Karone held up something for T.J. to see, a golden disk hung on a chain. It was a locket, Andros's most precious possession, and he never took it off, ever. 

T.J. nodded. "Right. Better go wake up the others." 

~*~

Very few people are ever at their best at one o'clock in the morning. Still, the Rangers, looking somewhat disheveled with uncombed hair and hastily put on clothing, managed to assemble in the bridge of the ship and get to work hunting for signs of their missing leader. Karone, who had not yet mastered the use of the ship's computers, anxiously stood by as her friends worked. 

"Any luck?" she asked. 

"I don't know. These readings are strange," said Cassie. "I keep picking him up, and then it's like he's just gone. I can't figure it out." 

"Where was the last place you found him? I can use it as a starting place and work outwards," said Carlos. 

Cassie gave him some coordinates, and Carlos punched them into the computer. 

"That's funny..." he said. "There's something there, all right, but I can't tell what it is." He pushed a few more buttons, trying to get more detailed information. "It's not Andros, but it's a whole lot like Andros...or is it? It keeps changing." 

"Karone, you said Andros might be under a spell," said T.J. "Could magic be used to change him like that?" 

"That shouldn't happen. Even if magic changed him, he would still be himself...unless..." 

"Unless what?" Zhane encouraged. 

"Unless he's somehow taken on a parasite," Karone replied. "It's possible that some kind of magical entity has taken control of him, somehow. I've seen it happen. Somebody is living through him in some way...they are two in one." 

"Let me see if I can check on that," said T.J. "If I can get the computer to separate what is Andros from what isn't....aha! Got it! Take a look at this." 

One of the computer screens lit up. They could see Andros as the Red Ranger, standing on top of a building in downtown Angel Grove, firing his laser at everything that moved and laughing maniacally. A blue jewel seemed to be embedded in his helmet, and it glowed brightly with its own light. 

"Where did that come from?" asked Cassie. 

"I have no idea," T.J. replied, "but it can't be anything good." 

"When I saw Andros tonight, his eyes were shining blue light," Karone remarked. "I'm willing to bet that if you could get rid of the crystal, you'll break the spell." 

"It's worth a shot," said T.J. "Come on, guys, let's get moving." 

As he turned to leave, Karone caught his arm. 

"Let me come too," she said. 

"No, Karone, it's too dangerous. In his state, he might try to destroy you, and you don't have any protection," he replied. 

"He's my brother," said Karone sternly. "I am willing to do for him what he was willing to do for me. I understand that my life might be in danger. It's a risk I'm willing to take." 

"That was different," said T.J. "There's a much bigger risk involved here. You don't have anywhere near the kind of defenses he did, and you don't have any weapons. If something happens to you, there isn't much chance of you being brought back again this time. You're staying here. Period." 

Karone stared defiantly at him for a moment, then lowered her eyes. 

"Well, all right," she said, "but I don't like it." 

She stood and watched as her friends entered the elevator. As soon as the doors closed, she turned and headed for her room, looking thoughtful. 

~*~

Blackwind had watched with great interest the metamorphosis his new acquisition had undergone. He had not realized the full extent of the crystal's power. He had known, of course, that the crystal could not be recharged properly if it was not tapped into its carrier by some deep desire or fear. What he had not known was the kind of psychological effect it would have on the one who was using it. The crystal Andros carried contained a large part of Blackwind's own soul, and it seemed that constant exposure to it was making Andros less and less like himself and more an extension of Blackwind. It was an interesting idea, one the Aeromancer had not considered before. He hypothesized that when the crystal was fully charged, the real Andros would cease to exist, leaving only a shell, a puppet under Blackwind's control. That possibility had several interesting implications that Blackwind found to be quite pleasing. Secure in the shadows of deepest night, he settled back to watch. 

~*~

The Power Rangers arrived on the scene with an unmistakable burst of light that Andros saw clearly from his vantage point. 

"What are you doing here?" he demanded harshly. "You're in my way! Get out of here!" 

"Andros! It's us, your friends!" Ashley called. "Don't you remember us?" 

"I don't need any friends," said Andros. "I don't need anyone! I am the greatest warrior in the universe! No one can stand against me!" 

"Man," said T.J. "He's really messed up. How are we going to get the crystal away from him?" 

"Get him to come down here," Zhane suggested. "The five of us ought to be able to handle him." 

"I heard that!" said Andros. "You couldn't stop me if there were five hundred of you!" 

"Oh yeah?" T.J. replied. "Then why don't you come down here and show us?" 

"As you wish," Andros replied. With a flying leap from the top of the building, he landed in the midst of the other Rangers. He whirled around like a red tornado, slashing at everyone within reach with his Spiral Saber. The Rangers tried to get to their feet, only to be thrown down again by a rapid succession of shots from The Red Ranger's Astro-Blaster. 

"Man!" T.J. exclaimed. "Whatever is controlling him is ruthless!" 

"And I'm just warming up," said Andros. "Spiral Saber Booster Mode!" 

Andros powered up his weapon and prepared to fire. Then, suddenly, something came whizzing out of nowhere and slashed across the Red Ranger's back. Sparks flew, and he screamed and dropped his saber. The other Rangers turned to see...Karone! 

Karone reached out with practiced ease to catch her boomerang as it returned. She almost smiled. "I knew this thing would be useful someday," she remarked. "Hey, T.J! What was that you said about not having any weapons?" 

T.J. grinned and shrugged. "Okay, so I was wrong!" 

"Great timing, Karone!" Cassie shouted. 

Andros was enraged, and the blue crystal burned like fire. "No one does that to me!" 

Hidden in the shadows, Blackwind smiled exultantly. His crystal was almost completely energized. It would only take just a little more power... 

"I've had it with all of you!" Andros shouted. "No more games! I'm going to obliterate all of you! Red Battlized Ranger Power, now!" 

There was a brilliant burst of light as he began the transformation. The Rangers were frozen with alarm. They knew that they wouldn't stand a chance against the Red Ranger's ultimate form. 

"Somebody stop him!" Karone shouted. 

"Right," said Zhane. "Super Silverizer, blaster mode!" The Silver Ranger produced his weapon and fired a blast of energy into the heart of the glowing light. There was a tremendous explosion of armor parts and unused power...and a certain bright blue something that sailed through the air and out of sight. Andros, back in his human form, collapsed to the ground. The other Rangers rushed to his side. 

"Is he hurt?" asked Karone worriedly. 

"Hard to tell," T.J. replied. "Andros? Can you hear me? Say something." 

Andros moaned faintly. "What happened? Where am I? What's going on?" 

"It's all right. Everything's okay now," Ashley said soothingly. "Are you okay?" 

"I...think so," he said. "Man, I feel like I've been hit by a bus...I didn't really get hit by a bus, did I?" 

"No, you got hit by a boomerang," said Zhane. "Don't you remember what happened?" 

"The last thing I remember, I was having that weird dream again, and I was talking to someone named Blackwind," said Andros. "I'm having trouble remembering things. My mind is all confused." 

"Blackwind," Karone repeated. "Why does that name sound familliar?" 

"Sleep on it," T.J. advised. "There are still a few hours left before daybreak. We might as well try to catch a few more Z's." 

"Wait! What happened to the crystal?" asked Carlos. "I thought I saw it go flying off somewhere. Shouldn't we try to find it?" 

"Crystal? What crystal?" asked Andros, suddenly tense. 

"We don't know," Cassie replied. "Some kind of magical gem. We think it put a spell on you." 

Andros looked puzzled. "I'm trying to remember...it seems like I got that crystal from Blackwind...but I thought he was just part of my dream...I can't think straight." 

"Wait! This is starting to come back to me," said Karone. "Ecliptor told me a story about someone named Blackwind. He was an Aeromancer, a master of dreams and illusions." 

"Could he have been sending Andros these nightmares?" asked T.J. 

"That would be possible, I would think," said Karone. "The crystals are what reminded me of him. His life-force was supposedly split apart and captured in four crystals: the Heart Crystal, the Mind Crystal, the Blood Crystal -" 

"- and the Soul Crystal," Andros finished. "He gave it to me to carry. He said it would get rid of my nightmares. How could I have been so stupid?" 

"You had no way of knowing," said Carlos said. "Besides, he was using magic on you. You can't be blamed for that." 

"Come on, everyone, let's get back to the ship," said T.J. "It's been a rough night for us all." 

Everyone agreed. The seven exhausted teammates teleported back to the Megaship, looking forward to getting a few more hours of sleep. 

Hidden in the darkness, Blackwind retrieved his crystal. He knew where to find it, just as he would have known where his hands and feet were, if he still had them. Soon, he promised himself, he would have them again. Now, all he had were the crystals. He picked up the blue Soul Crystal. It burned like frozen fire, shining with power that he pulled in and made part of himself. When the procedure was complete, he breathed a sigh of satisfaction. Already, he felt stronger, ready to take on his next challenge. 

"These Power Rangers are truly marvelous beings," he said. The sound of his own voice, missing for centuries, was the most wonderful thing he had ever heard. "I shall have to see what other uses they can be put to..." 

~*~

The next afternoon, T.J. arranged for a picnic lunch in the park. All of the Rangers attended, including Tommy, who wanted to hear all about the adventure of the previous night. 

"Sounds like it must have been pretty exciting," he said. "I kinda wish I could have seen it." 

"Well, next time there's a world-threatening emergency, maybe we'll invite you to come watch," said Zhane. The others laughed. 

"Have you been having any more nightmares, Andros?" T.J. asked. 

"No. I guess you were right all along. There was never anything wrong with me," Andros replied. "But I still can't believe I let Blackwind talk me into taking that crystal. I should have known better." 

"Don't let it get you down," said Tommy. "Even the best of Rangers get hit by a spell sometimes. Ha, even Bulk and Skull have had spells on them!" 

"Hey, Ashley," said Carlos, "remember those ugly jackets with the anger spell?" 

"They weren't _that_ ugly, were they?" Ashley asked. 

"Yes!" her friends all replied. 

"Rememeber the time you got turned into a vampire, Carlos?" asked Cassie. 

"Yeah," Carlos replied. "Remember that stupid song you sang that nobody could get out of their heads?" 

"Tanya told me once that Divatox turned her into a bug and tried to eat her," Ashley said. 

"Yuck!" everyone exclaimed. 

"I can top that one," said Tommy, joining the game. "Rita once shrunk a monster and hid it in my sandwich...and I swallowed it." 

"Eeeeeeeew!" said everyone. 

"That's _really_ hitting below the belt," Zhane quipped. 

His friends moaned. "What an awful pun," said Karone. "You don't even belong in this conversation. Nothing like this has ever happened to you." 

"Not that you know of, anyway," said Zhane with a wink. 

"I can tell you a strange story," said Tommy. "One time, my buddy Jason and I were under a rivalry spell, and we made a bet. He said if he won, I would have to give him my Power Coin and leave the team. I said that if I won, he would have to step down and make me leader of the team." 

"Who won?" asked Cassie. 

"We both did," said Tommy, "and we broke the spell. What's weird is, later on, I did have to give Jason the coin so Rita couldn't take its power, but then Zordon made me a new coin, and I came back to be the team leader." 

"Wow," said Andros. "I guess if I'm going to be turned evil, at least I'll be in good company!" 

Later, when the picnic was through and the others had all drifted off to play flag football or relax in the shade of the trees, Zhane and Karone took a walk together. 

"You were pretty brave last night," said Zhane. 

"You weren't so bad yourself," Karone replied. 

"One thing I've got to ask: What in the world were you doing up so late?" 

"I was talking to Zordon, like you told me to." 

"And?" 

Karone stared off into the clouds. "He said I should stop trying to figure everything out and just listen to my heart." 

"And what does your heart have to say?" 

"What I guess I should have known all along. I was just confused, and I'm sorry for hurting you, but now I know for sure," Karone smiled brilliantly at her friend. "I love you, Zhane. I always have." 

Zhane laughed with relief. "Don't ever, _ever_ worry me like that again!" The two hugged each other tightly. 

"Hey, you lovebirds!" T.J. shouted. "Break it up! We're getting ready to go." 

"Let's stay a little while longer," said Karone. "I don't think Andros is ready to leave yet." 

Andros was dozing at the base of a tree. He was smiling in his sleep. 


	3. Whatever Your Heart Desires

**Whatever Your Heart Desires**

**By SilvorMoon**

Carlos knew with pessimistic certainty that his day was not going to go well. He was right, too. The disastrous events began with an argument at the breakfast table and ended with a kiss, and the events in between were by themselves enough to wish he had not gotten up that morning. 

It was very seldom that Andros ever got really worked up over anything. However, when Carlos came for breakfast that fateful morning, he found his fearless leader in a heated discussion with his fearless second-in-command. 

"Suppose this really is necessary," T.J. was saying. "I still say it's impossible. Do you have any idea of the logistics involved?" 

"I have a very good idea of the logistics," Andros replied. "Ask me sometime next week, and I'll probably know exactly what the logistics are, and I still say we can do it and we _have_ to do it." 

"There's gotta be some other alternative," said T.J. 

"All right," answered Andros. "Name one." 

"What are you two fighting over?" aksed Carlos, taking a seat at the table. 

"Operation Z," said Andros, as if that explained everything. 

"He wants to find a permanent hiding place for Zordon," T.J. explained. "Somewhere we can leave him so we don't have to keep cruising all over the universe to keep him from being recaptured." 

"That doesn't sound like such a bad idea to me," Carlos opined. 

"It sounds like a great idea to me," said Andros. "The way things stand now, we're at too much of a risk. Yesterday we got attacked by Quadrafighters. The day before that, a fleet of vagrant Quantrons started firing on us just for spite and took out all the power in megadecks two and three, which wouldn't have happened if the main thrusters hadn't been damaged the day before that by those Tenga Warriors. So then we had to stop the ship and fix the megadecks and the thrusters, which was how the Quandrafighters caught up to us. And when we take time out to fix the damage they did, we'll be sitting ducks for whatever else might come along." 

"All right, all right! We know all this already," said T.J. "It's not the idea I'm so opposed to. The idea is good. It's the way you want to carry it out that's bugging me." 

"What does he want to do?" asked Carlos. 

"He wants to build a new version of the Power Chamber. Nothing wrong with that, but get this: he wants us to build it all by ourselves!" 

Carlos whistled. "That would be a lot of work. How much planning have you done for this?" 

Andros took on an expression of wounded pride. "I've been planning. I would have said so, too, if T.J. had let me." 

"All right, then, I'll listen," said T.J. "What have you got?" 

"I discussed it with Zordon and Alpha - and Tommy, too. They've all had some good suggestions. Tommy suggested we go talk to a friend of his on Aquatar, Billy Cranston. He's supposed to be an expert at inventing things, and he has a record of finishing very large projects in small amounts of time. Tommy said that if anyone can pull this off, he can." 

"I thought you wanted us to do everything ourselves," T.J. said, "for security reasons." 

"Other Power Rangers don't count," said Andros. "We just need to keep our enemies from discovering our plans. Anyway, Alpha and I put our heads together and worked out some rough plans. Would you like to see?" 

Andros reached into a pocket and withdrew a folded sheet of paper. Clearing a space on the table, he spread it out so that his teammates could see. T.J. and Carlos studied it carefully. 

"Hmm," said T.J. at last. "That doesn't look so bad. We just might be able to swing this, after all." 

"That's what I've been trying to tell you all along," Andros replied. 

"Of course, there are a few bugs to work out, like power supplies," T.J. continued thoughtfully, "but maybe this guy Billy can help with that. I'd say this is definitely worth looking into. Sorry for doubting you, Andros." 

"No problem," said Andros. 

Just then, the rest of the team arrived. They noticed the plans and asked what was going on, so Andros and T.J. filled them in. The idea was met with instant approval. 

"So, when do we start?" Cassie wanted to know. 

"Well, we haven't had a whole lot of time to plan this out yet," said Andros. "The first thing to do would be to go to Aquatar and talk to Billy, and we'll see where we need to go from there. At any rate, we won't be seeing Earth for a while. The project may take months to complete." 

"We ought to do something fun before we leave," said Ashley. "We can have a going- away party!" 

"Hey, I'm always ready for a party!" Zhane enthused. 

"Let's go to a concert!" said Cassie. 

"Or the beach," Karone suggested. 

"No, we ought to do something we can only do on Earth," said T.J. 

Ashley had an idea. "I know! There's a carnival in Angel Grove today. We should go see it." 

"Sounds like a great idea to me," said Andros. "I haven't been to a carnival since I was a little kid." 

"I've never been to one at all," Karone added. "Can we go? Please?" 

The vote was unanimous. The Power Rangers were headed for the carnival! 

~*~

Hidden in the deepest shadows he could find, Blackwind considered his next move. His soul was complete again, returning to him his most basic essentials of being, and thus, a small part of his former power. The subsequent item on his agenda would be to recharge his Heart Crystal, which would give him back most of his feelings and emotions. At the moment, those he had were frightfully limited, and life seemed rather stale and flat without them. However, he was somewhat constrained by the Heart Crystal's special properties: to recharge it, he would have to find a power source suitable to its own traits. It would be necessary to find a powerful source of joy, anger, fear, hate, love... 

Love! Now, there was an idea worth pursuing! Though not anything Blackwind had ever experienced firsthand, he had often heard that love was the most powerful force in the universe. It seemed that something in the manner of a love spell might be just what the doctor ordered. Blackwind turned the idea over in his mind, planning and plotting until he was certain of his success. 

~*~

It was a beautiful day for a carnival, bright and sunny with a few fluffy clouds. There was a large turnout for the celebration - it seemed like everyone in Angel Grove had come to ride the rides and see the sights. There was a Ferris wheel, a merry-go-round, swings and slides, plus all kinds of games, booths, and shows. The air was filled with the scents of popcorn, hot dogs, and other delights, and the sound of calliope music from the carousel mingles with the shouts and laughter of happy people. 

"Wow, look at all this!" Karone exclaimed. "What are we going to do first?" 

"I want to go on the Ferris wheel," said Ashley. "You ought to try it, Karone - with a suitable companion." 

"Smelling that popcorn is making me hungry," said Cassie. 

"Same here," said T.J. "How 'bout I buy us some cotton candy?" 

"What do you want to do, Carlos?" Andros asked. 

"I don't know," said Carlos. "I might just wander around and look at stuff for a while." 

"Okay, then, it sounds like we're splitting up," T.J. said. "We can meet back later by the merry-go-round and then get lunch." 

Everyone agreed to the plan, and each went his or her separate ways: Andros, Ashley, Karone, and Zhane in the direction of the rides, Cassie and T.J. in search of cotton candy, leaving Carlos by himself. He watched them go, thinking rather glumly that seven wasn't a very good number of people. Someone always seemed to get left out...and it seemed that the someone in question was usually him. 

That grated on him. He wondered why he was the only one who couldn't seem to pair off with anyone. He had dated Ashley for a while, but that had been before Andros had come into the picture. After the adventure on Imberwyst, he had forged a close friendship with Karone, and some tiny hidden part of him had entertained a faint hope that it might possibly become more than a friendship, but so far she had remained loyal to Zhane. Though he knew it was probably wrong of him, he couldn't help feeling the smallest bit jealous. Wasn't he as good as Zhane and Andros? Why shouldn't he have a girlfriend, too? He tried to quell such thoughts; he was here at this carnival to have fun, not brood over his life's lack of romance. That was what he told himself, but he wasn't quite convinced. 

Wrapped up in his own thoughts, he didn't hear the sound of a soft chuckle. 

"Aha!" said Blackwind to himself. "So you want to improve your love life, do you, Carlos? I think I might have just the remedy for you!" 

center>~*~ 

Blackwind knew, of course, that getting his chosen carrier to do his job was not going to be as easy as it was the first time. The Rangers all knew what he looked like from Andros's descriptions, and they would be distrustful of anything that resembled one of his Life Crystals. Still, it was not an impossible task, just one that would require a little finesse. Now that he had his Soul Crystal recharged, he had magic enough to make the necessary arrangements. Though he could not change the crystal, he could disguise it. Though he could not disguise himself, he could "convince" someone else to do the talking for him, if only for a little while. 

Some time later, Carlos was walking down a path lined with colorful booths where people could try their hand at various games of skill and chance. He looked at them without really seeing them, until he became aware that someone was calling him. 

"Hey! Hey, you! You in the black T-shirt!" 

Carlos turned to see the proprietor of one of the booths beckoning to him. "Are you calling me?" he asked. 

"Yes, of course, young man!" the man replied. "I couldn't help notice you looking a bit down. Why don't you try your luck at my game? You're guaranteed to win something. It always seems to make people feel better to win prizes, and you look like you could use a picker-upper." 

"Well...why not? Sure, I'll play. How much is it?" 

"One dollar per chance," said the game man. Carlos paid his dollar, and the game man handed him a dart. "Just toss this at a balloon. Yellow balloons are for small prizes, red for medium, blue for large, and purple lets you take your pick." 

Carlos gripped the dart carefully and stared at the arrangement of balloons on the back wall. They were set up in a sort of bull's-eye pattern, with one purple balloon in the exact center. Though Carlos was really more of a soccer player, his athletic skills carried over into almost any sort of game. When he pitched the dart, it flew straight and true, scoring a perfect shot in the middle of the purple balloon. The game man applauded. 

"Well, well! Today is your lucky day!" he said. "What will you have, young man? A hat? A T-shirt? A teddy bear to take home to your girlfriend, perhaps?" 

Carlos looked downcast. "I don't have a girlfriend." 

"I don't believe it! For real?" said the game man. "Well, we'll just have to do something about that." Rummaging in a box behind the counter, he brought out a silver necklace, on which hung a brilliant purple stone in a silver setting. He handed it to Carlos. 

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Carlos asked dubiously. 

"This," said the game man seriously, "is a love charm. It'll bring you good luck. Satisfaction guaranteed!" 

"I don't know if I believe in good luck charms," said Carlos. 

"Keep it anyway," the game man advised. "The stone is real amethyst. If the love charm doesn't work, you can at least give it some lucky lady and impress her." 

"Maybe I'll do that," said Carlos. He tried to ignore the little voice in his mind that reminded him that Karone's favorite color was purple. "Thanks." 

"Don't mention it," said the game man. He smiled, and for some inexplicable reason, Carlos had to suppress a shiver. 

~*~

Carlos left the game area turning over the strange necklace in his hands. He decided he would feel silly wearing it (the stone was at the center of a disc with floral designs all around it, not exactly his style), but he somehow felt oddly attached to the thing. There was something about the feel of the chain, the smoothness of the cool metal, the brilliance of the stone that was somehow fascinating, and he couldn't quite resist the impulse to touch and admire it. He was so busy doing so that he wasn't looking where he was going, and the next thing he knew, he had collided with someone. 

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" said a female voice, vaguely familiar. 

"No, really it was my fault. I wasn't looking where I was going," Carlos replied. He looked up to see who he was apologizing to. "Hey, I know you! You're...Felicia, right?" 

The girl smiled and blushed. "That's right. I'm surprised you remembered." 

Carlos was a little surprised, too. Felicia had been in one of his math classes, but he had almost never spoken to her, or she to him, except for once when she had asked him for help on a homework assignment. It had turned out that he had done his homework in study hall on account of his having soccer practice that evening. After that, she had never really spoken to him, except to say hello if they happened to bump into each other somewhere, as they had now. 

"What's that you've got there?" Felicia had noticed his prize. 

"It's a necklace. I won it in a game," Carlos explained. 

"Did you really? That's really cool. I never win anything," said Felicia wistfully. "I always wanted to win one of those big stuffed bears, but I guess I'm not good enough." 

Carlos wondered if maybe this might be a good time to see if his new good luck charm really worked. "Are you here with anyone, or are you by yourself?" 

"I just came by myself. How about you?" 

"Well, I came with my friends, but they all took off somewhere and left me, so if you'd like to hang with me awhile..." 

Felicia smiled brilliantly. "I'd love to!" 

"Great," said Carlos. "Maybe I can win you a prize, too." 

"Oh, thanks! That mean so much to me. You're so sweet!" 

With Felicia by his side, Carlos set out to enjoy the carnival. He touched the necklace and smiled. *_Maybe this thing really does work after all!_* he thought. 

~*~

Blackwind could not help but view his latest accomplishment with mixed emotions. True, he was glad that his plan had worked out so well. The love spell on the necklace combined with the power of the Heart Crystal should be enough to generate a strong power source to yield quick results. On the other hand, he couldn't suppress a twinge of jealousy. As long as the magic was working properly, Carlos could have every woman in the general area falling all over him if he chose, but what about Blackwind himself? In his former life, he had never lacked such diversions, but it had been centuries since he had been able to enjoy any kind of physical contact with anything. He missed that almost unbearably...and the crystal that would restore his physical self, the Blood Crystal, would have to be the last one he used. He sighed. Patience would have to be his watchword, but patience had never been one of his very few virtues. Still, he consoled himself with the knowledge that his wait would be over very soon... 

~*~

Aboard the Astro Megaship, the teens were done with their vacation and were getting back to work on their preparations for Operation Z. At least, most of them were trying to work. Though Carlos was supposed to be helping with the system checks, his mind kept wandering. He kept thinking back on his afternoon with Felicia. She had never paid any attention to him before, nor had he ever paid much attention to her. Today, however, the rules seemed to have changed. Her entire attitude suggested that she felt it was an incredible stroke of good fortune for him to simply say a kind word to her, and he was slowly but surely convincing himself that it was the necklace that had done it. Surely it must have been more than a coincidence that had caused him to bump into her, and to make her spend the day with him. There was something about the purple crystal that had the look and feel of magic. 

That idea made him just the tiniest bit uneasy. He still remembered what had happened to Andros when he had carried Blackwind's Soul Crystal, but he couldn't bring himself to believe that the crystal he carried now had any relation to the one Andros had been given. That crystal had done nothing but bring out the worst in Andros: anger, hate, and violence. What relation could a love charm have with something that obviously evil? And how in the world would one of Blackwind's Life Crystals end up as a prize for a carnival game? Carlos found the idea inconceivable. Anyway, the crystals didn't even look the same. While this one was purple, the other had been blue. 

On the other side of the room, Ashley was totally absorbed in her task, checking a heap of equipment to make sure everything was in perfect working order. Andros ran a tight ship; everything would have to be checked and rechecked before setting out on their mission. Maintaining security during the mission was vital, so there would be no stops anywhere between Earth and Aquatar. 

Watching her work, Carlos slowly hatched an idea. It was a wicked idea, he knew, but one with undeniable appeal. If the charm really worked (and satisfaction was guaranteed!) then he ought to be able to get back what he had lost. No one would think he had been encouraging her in any way - he hadn't told anyone about the love charm - so it would seem to be all her own idea. No blame could possibly fall on him, so...why not give it a try? A little voice in his mind told him that what he was planning was dishonest and unkind, but the allure seemed to strong. He shoved the little voice away. Taking the crystal in his hands, he gazed deep into its shining depths. 

"Let's see what you can do," he said softly. "Make Ashley fall in love with me!" 

A fire seemed to spark deep within the crystal, and the light was reflected in his own eyes. He smiled. 

At her table, Ashley suddenly glanced up as if she had heard a surprising sound. Then her gaze fell on Carlos - or, more precisely, on the crystal. Its purple fire was mirrored in her in her own eyes as well. 

"Wow," she said softly. "I never noticed how handsome you look in that uniform, Carlos. You are amazing! I'll do anything you ask me!" 

"Good," he replied with a smug smile. "Go find Karone and tell her I want to have a word with her." 

"Whatever you say," she replied. 

Carlos watched her with the purple fire burning in his eyes. 

~*~

Divatox the Pirate Queen was suffering from a case of complete and utter boredom. Since the fall of the Confederation of Evil, there had been very little for her to do. A fair number of her troops had fallen in the ill-fated strike against the universe, and more had been destroyed in the battle among the monsters for leadership. Afterwards, she had melted a few Pirhanatrons to vent her frustrations. Many of her followers had deserted her, and those few she had left were more intent on nursing injuries and keeping out of sight than helping her return to power. Much as she hated to admit it, there was no course of action to take but to let her soldiers recuperate and search for some way to rebuild her armies. Naturally, this put her in a bad mood. She _hated_ waiting! 

She remembered almost fondly the time she had spent contending with the Power Rangers. At least it had given her something to do, something to think about. She would have beaten them, too, she thought bitterly, if the Dark Specter hadn't interfered. Just for something to do, she decided to check up on her old enemies. 

It took her a while to find them - her periscope's scope was rather limited - but she did finally come across them. She recognized Cassie and T.J., but not their two companions, a couple of new guys...attractive, she decided, but not her type. None of the four were doing anything of interest to her, so she changed her view to another room. There, she found Ashley and - she had to look carefully to be sure - her old rival, the former Princess of Evil. Well, she certainly had changed! The two girls were arguing over something, it seemed, though it was difficult to tell what they were saying. And sitting off to one side, watching the proceedings with a look of condescending amusement, was...Carlos? 

"Well!" she exclaimed. "He's undergone some improvements!" 

She smiled. Today might not be so boring after all! 

~*~

While observing the actions of his crystal carrier, Blackwind became aware that he was being watched. No, that wasn't quite right; it was the carrier that was being watched. Blackwind didn't like that. He had many enemies left in the universe, and he felt uneasy about the prospect of being spied on. He would make sure that his crystals were never used in any way that would not benefit his own survival, but in the hands of another experienced magician, they could become dangerous weapons - against him and the rest of the universe. Still, there was no large problem yet. Being insubstantial had one advantage: it was remarkably easy to get from one place to another in almost no time at all. Blackwind turned around, and was simply and suddenly gone. 

He reappeared in his desired location and inspected his surroundings. 

"Humph," he said to himself. "Tacky, tacky, tacky! Someone has no idea of artistry." 

Still, he was not there to look at the decor, but to find the spy. Slipping silently through shadowed rooms, he searched until he found...a woman, watching something (or, more likely, someone) through a periscope. Blackwind instantly understood. Once activated, the spell he had placed on the necklace would hold the attention of any woman who happened to look at the carrier. Naturally, this woman would be affected as much as anyone else. Blackwind couldn't help but be a little bit jealous once again. This person, whoever she was, seemed to him to be quite attractive, and if someone would just find her some proper clothing, and maybe do something about her makeup and that ridiculous purple dye in her hair...Blackwind got halfway through imagining what that would look like before he stopped himself. This was not the time for such things. Still, it couldn't hurt to at least talk to her... 

"Are you admiring my new possession?" he asked. 

Divatox jumped. She hadn't realized that there was anyone watching her. Her mind had been on other things. 

"Who's there?" she demanded. She was mildly alarmed, but also curious. Whoever had spoken had a magnificent speaking voice, deep and rich, with an intimation of power. She wanted to see who it belonged to. The Black Ranger was temporarily forgotten; she was willing to consider any opportunity that came her way. 

"I am here, as much as I can be anywhere," Blackwind replied. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Blackwind, King of planet Kaira." He executed a graceful bow. "I am at your service." 

"I'm sure you are. I'm Divatox - Queen Divatox," she replied, mildly disappointed. The stranger was only a shadow - a very nice shadow, as shadows went - she would have liked to see the man who had cast it - but a shadow nonetheless. "What was that you just said about a possession?" 

"I was referring to the Black Ranger. He now belongs to me," Blackwind explained. "He is currently under a very subtle and insidious little spell...which has had some interesting side effects, as you seem to have noticed." 

"What would you want with the Black Ranger?" 

"I am using him as a power source. He and his Ranger friends are unwittingly helping me to restore my former powers. I was not always as you see me, you understand. It seems that the spell I'm using causes a remarkable attitude adjustment in my chosen helpers. I judge that very soon, he'll be turned completely evil." 

"Can I have him when you're done with him?" 

"What would you do with him if you had him?" Blackwind asked, with a hint of a smile. 

"I can think of a few things." 

"Are you implying what I think you're implying?" No doubt about the smile this time. 

"Maybe. How good is your imagination?" 

Blackwind shook his head. "I wish I had known you before. We might have been very good friends, I think." 

"What's that supposed to mean?" 

"Nothing," said Blackwind. "Nothing at all. I'd better go collect our friend Carlos, before he starts getting into trouble. I'll return shortly." 

"I'll be looking forward to that." 

"I'm sure you will." Blacwind turned and faded out of view. 

~*~

Meanwhile, Andros, T.J., Cassie, and Zhane were still busy with the preparations for their journey. While Cassie ran systems checks, Andros and T.J. debated over what should be included on their list of supplies. Zhane, with notepad in hand, was on his way to the cargo areas to take inventory when he heard the sound of voices raised in a heated argument. 

"Hey, guys," he said, "am I going crazy, or does it sound like there's a fight going on?" 

"Huh?" T.J. got up and joined Zhane in the doorway. "You're right. Kerone and Ashley are yelling about something. Wonder what's going on?" 

"We'd better find out," said Andros. "It must be something pretty serious to get them that upset." 

The foursome headed out to check on their friends. Coming closer, they were able to make out parts of what was being said. 

"No way!" Ashley said. "You can't have him! He's mine!" 

"Dream on!" 

"I saw him first!" 

"Well, he asked for me!" 

"You've got a boyfriend, remember? Go on back to your blond blockhead." 

"No way! You're crazy!" 

"I'll make you leave if I have to." 

"Ha! You couldn't." 

Just then, the rest of the Ranger burst into the room. They found Ashley and Karone glaring at each other in fury, while Carlos watched calmly from a corner. 

"Would somebody like to tell me what's going on here?" T.J. demanded. 

"Nothing," the girls said in unison. 

"Don't lie to us," said Andros. "We heard you shouting. What's wrong?" 

"It's just a misunderstanding," said Karone sulkily. 

"Uh-huh. Sure," Zhane replied. "Like we really believe that. Come on, the truth now." 

"Can I be excused?" asked Carlos innocently. "I've got stuff I want to do." 

"No, don't go!" Ashley begged. 

"Go on," said T.J. "We'll handle this." 

Carlos nodded. "Thanks," he said. He got up and left. 

Turning back to Karone and Ashley, Andros asked, "Now, could you tell us what this is all about?" 

"I..." Ashley suddenly looked very confused. "I forgot." 

"You forgot?" T.J. repeated incredulously. "How could you forget? You were shouting about something at the top of your lungs a second ago." 

"I don't know," Ashley replied. "I really can't remember. I just remember working on a stack of tools, and then everything is blank. I can't explain it." 

"How about you, Karone?" Zhane asked. 

Karone thought hard. "I can't remember, either. Funny, I had it just a second ago, but now it's gone. I can't even remember why I came here." 

"That's weird," said Cassie. "You aren't putting us on, are you?" 

"No, this is for real," Karone replied. "Something has happened that I can't explain." 

"Maybe Carlos can explain," Andros suggested. "Wasn't he here the whole time?" 

"That's right!" exclaimed Ashley. "Where did he go?" 

Karone closed her eyes in an attitude of intense concentration. "Uh-oh." 

"Uh-oh, what?" asked T.J. 

"There is magic here." 

"Magic?" Andros repeated. "You don't suppose...?" 

T.J. snapped his fingers. "Carlos must have picked up another of Blackwind's crystals... Oh, no, and we let him get away!" 

"We've got to catch him," said Kerone seriously. "Under Blackwind's power, there's no telling what he might do." 

"Maybe it isn't too late," Andros said. "DECA, seal off all exits. No matter what, don't let Carlos escape." 

DECA replied, "Carlos has already left the ship." 

~*~

While the other Rangers had been talking, Carlos had hurried away in search of a hiding place. In retrospect, he decided that bringing in both girls at once had been a bad idea. Now his cover was probably blown, and he wasn't quite sure what to do next. However, that question was decided for him when he ran around a corner and found himself face to face with Blackwind. 

"Where are you off to, Black Ranger?" the shadow asked smoothly. 

"I've got to get away from here," Carlos said frantically. "They're going to find out about the magic, and they'll be angry. They're going to come after me!" 

"Ah, yes. So true," said Blackwind. "Someone should have warned you that magic won't hold in the face of true love. Your young lady friends will be coming around very soon, and then you'll be in trouble...unless, of course, you let me help you." 

"What can you do?" Carlos asked. 

"Just look me in the eye and listen to what I say," Blackwind said persuasively. Carlos did as he was told. A spark seemed to flash between his eyes and Blackwind's. "I am your master now! You will obey me and only me. I control your mind. You will think nothing but what I tell you to think and do only what you are commanded to do. Is that clear?" 

Carlos nodded. 

"Good. Then follow me. There is someone waiting to meet you." There was a swirl of dark mist, and Blackwind and the Black Ranger vanished. 

~*~

"Any luck finding him?" Andros was supervising the effort to locate their missing comrade. 

"Not a thing," T.J. replied. 

"Nothing here, either," added Zhane. "It's like he just dropped off the face of the Earth!" 

"Keep looking. He couldn't have gone but so far," Andros said. "Or could he? If he's running from us, where would he go?" 

"It's hard to say," Karone replied. "I can't imagine what he would be thinking right now. But as long as he has that crystal, he's dangerous - to himself more than anyone else." 

"What I want to know is, what made him decide to take it?" Cassie asked. "He knew what happened to Andros. Wouldn't he have realized he was heading for trouble?" 

"It's hard to say," said Andros. "Blackwind's magic is pretty hard to resist. I should know. I've been there. Besides, Blackwind isn't stupid. He knows we know about him. He probably used some kind of trick." 

"From now on, we're all going to have to be extra careful," said T.J. "There's no telling who's gonna be next on the hit list or what the next crystal might do." 

Cassie looked up from her computing. "I've finished searching the Earth. There's no trace of Carlos or Blackwind." 

"Well, spread out the search boundaries, then," Andros said. "He's out there somewhere. We've got to find him before something bad happens." 

The other Rangers nodded, and continued with their work. 

~*~

Divatox was searching through her closet when Blackwind returned. 

"I've brought you back your Power Ranger," he said. 

She jumped. "Don't sneak up on me like that!" 

"Sorry," said Blackwind, sounding genuinely contrite. "I can't really help it. Do forgive me." 

"Oh, well, I guess it doesn't matter," Divatox replied. It was a surprising remark, since she seldom, if ever, forgave anyone for anything. She returned to her search, scowling in frustration. "Drat! I don't have anything presentable to wear!" 

"Ah, yes," Blackwind said, smiling slightly as he detected an opportunity. "The eternal problem. Perhaps I could suggest something...if it isn't presumptuous to try to improve upon perfection. I've been told I have very good taste." 

"Well...I guess it couldn't hurt," Divatox replied. 

"Very well, then," said Blackwind, continuing to smile. He was quite pleased with himself! "Hold still for just one moment, and I'll see what I can do." 

He closed his eyes and bowed his head, concentrating intensely, trying to muster the power to carry out his intentions. He raised one hand, and black and red sparks of light gathered around his fingers like exotic fireflies. With a graceful gesture, they were sent to swirl around the pirate queen. Around and around they swirled, until she was totally hidden by the glimmering lights. Then, they landed on her in a rush, leaving her appearance pleasantly altered. 

Blackwind opened his eyes again to admire his handiwork. Her flamboyant clothing had been replaced by an elegant red dress, sequined with tiny rubies set in subtle patterns. Matching jewelry had been provided, rubies and diamonds, impressive in size and brilliance. He had also taken the opportunity to tone down her gaudy makeup and turn her hair back to its natural color. Now, he decided, she looked truly beautiful. Perhaps it was because he had been alone so long...or maybe not. 

"Very impressive. You look fit to dazzle anyone, spell or no spell," he said. "Have a look at yourself and see what you think." 

She checked her reflection in the mirror, and her face lit up with delight. "It's gorgeous!" she exclaimed. Her expression changed to one of speculation as she studied the brilliant stones that made up her necklace. "Are these real?" 

"Of course. I am a king, after all," said Blackwind. "Keep it, if you like." 

"The necklace?" 

"The whole ensemble. It suits you well...and I'm certainly not going to wear it!" He permitted himself a small laugh, and she laughed also. 

"Where is the Ranger?" she asked at last. 

"He is preparing himself to meet you," Blackwind replied, serious once again. He had been enjoying himself until that point. However much he would have preferred it otherwise, he was still only a formless shadow, and for all his gifts and charming words, she would never consider a shadow as anything other than, say, a useful ally. That would change someday soon... but, blast it, soon wasn't good enough! 

"Is something wrong?" she asked. "If there's a problem..." 

"It's my problem, not yours," he said. "I will go retrieve your Ranger now." Impulsively, he produced a rose out of thin air and handed it to her with a bow and a flourish. Then he vanished, fading away like smoke on the wind. 

Divatox remained where she was, staring thoughtfully at the rose, as if trying to read the answer to some question in the folds of its petals. 

~*~

Zhane was hunched over a computer, busily pushing buttons. Suddnely, he sat bolt upright and exclaimed, "Hey, guys! I think I found him!" 

The others were at his side in an instant. "Where?" Andros asked. 

"I'm not exactly sure yet. The computer's still getting the exact coordinates," answered Zhane. "He's almost completely faded out. I wasn't even sure it was him for a second." 

The computer blipped, indicating it had finished its job, and Andros called up a visual. The viewing screen showed an image of a strange, golden, fish-like craft, docked within a massive structure of twisted metal. 

"That's Divatox's sub!" T.J. exclaimed. "That computer must be messed up. What would Carlos be doing there?" 

"Hey, this computer works," Zhane insisted. "I should know. I had to check it this afternoon for the trip, remember?" 

"Which brings us to question two: Why is Carlos on Divatox's space base?" asked Andros. "Is it possible that she could be the one who captured him? We only guessed it was Blackwind, but maybe..." 

"No, Blackwind is involved with this somewhere," said Karone. "The spell pattern is unique to him." 

"The computer says the same thing," Zhane added. "He and Carlos are both on that ship." 

"That would mean Blackwind must be allied with Divatox," said T.J. 

"It would make sense," said Karone thoughtfully. "She chases after every man who crosses her path, and Blackwind is supposed to be very charming." 

The other Rangers gave her strange looks. 

"Well, that's what I heard," she said sheepishly. 

"I don't even want to know," said T.J. "Those two are bad enough on their own. Who knows what they could do working together?" 

"We'd better get there fast, before something happens," Cassie said. 

"Right," Andros replied. "DECA, set in a course and fire the thrusters to maximum hyper- rush velocity." 

The engine glowed brightly as it charged up the hyper-accelerator, blasting the ship through space in a burst of blue light from the after burners. 

~*~

The Black Ranger had undergone a few subtle changes. He had removed his jacket with its official Power Rangers insignia, baring the form-fitting black shirt he wore underneath. He also wore the necklace now, but it no longer looked silly. In the light of the glowing gemstone it held, even the floral designs looked sinister. He was leaning against a wall, half-hidden in the shadows, waiting patiently. Though his eyes glowed faintly with the light of the Heart Crystal, his face was blank and expressionless. 

"Hello, friend," said Blackwind. He did sarcasm very well when he was in the mood for it; only a careful listener could ever tell he wasn't sincere. "Are you happy to see me again? No, I wouldn't suppose you would be. I have someone I want you to meet. I do hope you'll be civil to her; she is royalty, after all." Carlos remained impassive, not hearing a word that was said. 

As if on cue, a door opened, and Divatox made her dramatic entrance. Blackwind rather regretted that. It had been foolish of him to make those changes on her, he thought. It was an eternal torture to him to be forever wanting something he couldn't have, but he still couldn't resist the temptation to make her over into his ideal...and now here she had to go flaunting it! With a valiant attempt to get his emotions under control, he took his place as intermediary between her and the ensorcelled Power Ranger. 

"Carlos, meet your queen," he said. "She is your absolute ruler. You will obey her in all things. Is this understood?" 

"Yes, master," Carlos replied. He bowed to Divatox. "I am at your service." 

The gesture, the words, even the tone of voice were so like what Blackwind had done at their first meeting that Divatox glanced at him. 

Blackwind shrugged, understanding her confusion. "He is under my control, and therefore, an extension of myself. There's bound to be some similarities between us." 

"I see," she replied. "Stand up, Ranger. I have plans for you." 

"NOT SO FAST, DIVATOX!" interrupted a voice. Instantly, the Power Rangers rushed into the room. 

"Oh, no, not them again," she moaned. 

"Friends of yours?" asked Blackwind. 

"You don't know the half of it." 

"Give back Carlos right now," Andros demanded, "or you two are in _big_ trouble." 

Divatox smiled nastily. "I don't think he wants to go back. Why don't you ask him about it?" 

"Come on, Carlos," T.J. urged. "You can fight the magic! Don't let them do this to you!" 

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Carlos coldly. "I belong only to Queen Divatox." 

"That's right, you do," Divatox replied. With a triumphant smile, she pulled him closer and kissed him. 

"Ew, gross!" said Zhane. 

"I did _not_ just see that," muttered Cassie in disbelief. 

Blackwind closed his eyes and shook his head in a gesture of despair. "I've created a monster," he said. 

"Psst!" T.J. whispered to Andros. "Don't just stand there! Get rid of the crystal!" 

"Right," Andros replied. "Um, how am I supposed to do that?" 

"Oh, that's easy," said Zhane. "You just do something stupid to distract them, like this." Pointing, he shouted, "Hey, look! It's Maligore!" 

"Huh? Where?" Divatox glanced all around in confusion. 

That was all the opportunity Andros needed. He half-ran, half-dove toward Carlos, brandishing his Spiral Saber, intending to smash the crystal into a million pieces. Blackwind saw what was happening. 

"NO!" he shouted. Quick as a thought, he flew toward the Red Ranger's target and grabbed the precious crystal, snapping the chain of the necklace. There was a burst of light as the love spell disintegrated, throwing Andros and Carlos in two different directions. 

The whole time, Zhane was howling with laughter at Divatox's gullibility. "Man, that was the oldest trick in the book, and they still fall for it every time!" 

Carlos picked himself up off the floor. 

"Man, what a headache," he muttered. "What's going on? What am I doing here?" 

T.J. came to help his friends to their feet. "Believe me, Carlos, you do _not_ want to know." 

Somewhat dazedly, Carlos wiped his mouth with the back of one hand and was surprised to come up with a smear of red lipstick. "You're right. I don't." 

"Come on, let's get out of this place," said Andros. The other Rangers agreed. They didn't want to spend another minute in the subcraft. They all vanished in bursts of colored light. 

~*~

Blackwind barely noticed when the Rangers left. He was preoccupied with his crystal. However disastrous his experiment with the love spell had been, it had still completed its ultimate function; the Heart Crystal was fully charged. He drew in its newfound power like a drowning man would draw in a breath of fresh air. 

It was only when he had completed the process of re-energizing that he noticed Divatox. She seemed to be in the grips of intense disappointment, beating a fist on the top of a table with her face buried in her arms, saying, "Not again! Not again! Why did this have to happen _again_?" 

As out of character as it was for him, Blackwind felt a stab of pity for her. It was his fault, in a way. He had never meant to do her any harm by all this. Perhaps it was because his heart was in working order for the first time in centuries. Whatever it was, he found himself wanting to comfort her somehow. 

Moments later, Divatox was drawn out of the depths of her despair by the gentlest of touches on her cheek. It was barely even a touch, only a soft brush like a delicate spring breeze, only warm and alive, and with a faint electric tingle. She looked up to see what caused it - and found herself staring into the eyes of the handsomest man she had ever had the good fortune to see: broad shouldered, well-muscled, with jet-black hair and fine clothing, all in all the very picture of sophisticated evil. There was something else about him, too, an aura of power. But what held her attention were those fathomless eyes, black as the skies of the most distant reaches of the universe. You could get lost forever in eyes like that...but by the time she was thinking that, she was already lost. 

"Who are you?" she asked in a near-whisper. 

He smiled, a smile of faint amusement that only touched the corners of lips. It was the gleam in his eyes that said everything. 

"What's the matter?" he asked. "Don't you recognize your partner in crime?" 

She recognized that voice! "Blackwind? Is that you?" 

"More myself than ever," he replied. "You're staring. Do you like what you see?" 

"Oh, yes!" she blurted out. Realizing what she had just said, she tried to stammer some kind of disclaimer, but Blackwind stopped her. 

"No need to be ashamed," he said. "Really, I'm quite flattered. I'm a vain creature, you know, and I do like to be complimented." 

His eyes were teasing her. She raised one hand, with every intention of pulling him to herself as she had with the Black Ranger, but he drew back. 

"No, please, you mustn't try to touch me," he said unhappily. "Despite all appearances, I'm not quite complete yet...I'm still only here in spirit. The crystal I gave to the Black Ranger was one of my Life Crystals, and it has given me back some of my former power, but there are still two Crystals left before I am completely restored. Until then, I am only a ghost." 

"But when you finish with those other two Crystals, you'll be a real man." 

"Yes." 

"Then tell me what I can do to help." 

Blackwind smiled. 

~*~

The Power Rangers had completed their jobs - ahead of schedule, according to Andros. That left them a few hours to spend on having fun. There had been unanimous agreement among the Rangers: they were going to visit Earth one last time. To all seven of them, the beautiful blue- green planet was home to them, even to those who had been born in places far distant. They would miss it very much when they left it. 

Everyone scattered hither and yon, each to his or her on favorite places to walk old, familiar paths one last time, and Carlos found himself alone again. He went to the park in Angel Grove, a place of many fond memories. Soccer had always been his chief joy in life, and now he felt an urge to visit the old field and kick the ball around for a while. There was telling when he would get another opportunity; there was no room on the Astro Megaship for a soccer field, and even the wondrous simu-deck wasn't up to creating something of that size. 

He went through a few practice moves, maneuvering the soccer ball this way and that. The motions were so familiar that he hardly had to think about them...so he thought about other things instead. 

After everything he had been through, he was right back where he started - all alone. For him, there was no one, no Ashley, no Karone, no Felicia. Everything had been owed to Blackwind's Heart Crystal. He felt sorry for himself, but that didn't last but so long. Exercise was good for sparking new thoughts, which were much more interesting to him than the same old things he had been thinking all day. He had a dim recollection of seeing Divatox and Blackwind together on her ship. He wondered what the two of them were doing together. It occurred to him for the first time that maybe it was lonely being a ghost. He wondered if the two of them would stay together. If they did, he decided, it would be a good thing. If they were happy, perhaps they wouldn't cause so much trouble. Another part of him wanted to complain: even Blackwind had a girlfriend now! Why was Carlos the only one who had be alone? He dribbled the soccer ball back and forth until, with a powerful kick, he sent it hurtling into the goal. 

"Nice shot!" said a voice. 

Carlos looked up to see a familiar person watching him from the sidelines. "Hey, Felicia! What are you doing here?" 

"I just came out for a walk, and I saw you practicing, so I stopped to watch," she replied. "You're really good." 

"Thanks," he said, wondering where this conversation was going to lead. 

"I wanted to thank you for...well, for letting me hang out with you at the carnival," Felicia said. "That sounds stupid, doesn't it? But I was feeling sort of lonely. I just have a hard time talking to people, and you were so nice to me. I didn't even think you liked me. You never said anything to me at school." 

"I didn't even know you wanted me to talk to you." 

"Sure I did," she said. "I was just to scared to say anything myself." 

"Well, you can talk to me now," Carlos replied. "I'd like for us to be friends." 

"Really?" she asked. "What are you doing next week?" 

"Oh, I'm really sorry, Felicia, but I'm leaving for a trip early tomorrow morning," Carlos said regretfully. "I might be gone for a few months." Felicia looked crestfallen. "But you can e-mail me...and I promise you'll be the first person I come to see when I get back." 

Felicia beamed. "I'll be looking forward to it." 

They stayed in the park and talked for a while. When at last Felicia had to leave, Carlos watched her go with a feeling of contentment. Everything was going to work out all right, after all. He had a great adventure ahead of him, and there would be someone special waiting for him when he got back. What more could anyone ask for? 

Pausing at the crest of a hill, Felicia turned back and called, "Hey, Carlos!" 

"Yeah?" he called back. 

"I think you're cute!" Laughing, she dashed out of sight. 

Carlos returned to the ship with a smile on his face. Life was good! 


	4. Dark Paths

**Dark Paths**

**By: SilvorMoon**

The conversation Andros overheard that afternoon gave him an eerie feeling of deja vu... and a strange sense of apprehension. He had heard a conversation very like it before, and it had more or less ruined his morning, but this was another time and a whole different situation. Still, it was not the positive kind of thing he had hoped to hear. 

Male voice: "Come on! You can do it! Just concentrate." 

Female voice: "Oh... I just can't do it!" 

Male voice: "Sure you can! Just relax, focus your mind." 

"Sounds like they're at it again," Ashley remarked to Andros. 

"Yeah," Andros replied. "Doesn't sound like things are going too well, though." 

"Let's drop in on them and see if we can help," suggested Ashley. 

Entering a small room, they found Zhane acting as patient teacher to Kerone, an impatient student. She, like Zhane and her brother, had grown up learning telekinesis along with reading and writing, but long years without practicing had reduced the former skill to nonexistence, and she was trying her best to recapture her former ability. It was not an easy task, and she was getting very frustrated. 

"Hi, guys. How are the classes coming?" asked Ashley. 

"Not too well," Kerone said tiredly. "I'm just not getting this! Sometimes I think I'm never going to learn." 

"Don't say that!" said Zhane. "It's just going to take some time. It takes everybody time, even me and Andros. You shouldn't feel bad." 

"That's right," Andros added. "Learning telekinesis isn't something that you learn gradually. For a long time, you won't be able to do a thing, and then one day it just comes to you and you _know_." 

"Maybe it came to you," said Karone. "I don't know about me...but I really want to learn this!" 

"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself," Ashley said. "Look at me! I've been trying to learn this for way longer than you have, and I still haven't gotten it." 

"But I used to know this!" Karone insisted. "It just makes me so frustrated." 

"Don't get frustrated," Zhane suggested. "Get dinner instead...or am I the only one here who's hungry?" 

"Dinner sounds like a good idea," Andros replied. "After all, you can't concentrate on anything when you're hungry." 

"Great!" said Zhane. "Last one to the rec room has to program the synthetron!" Laughing, he dashed out of the room. 

"Hey, wait for me!" Andros shouted, and took off after his friend. 

The girls followed at a more leisurely pace. 

"You know," Ashley said, "you're taking this whole telekinesis thing way too seriously." 

"I know," Karone replied. "I just can't seem to help it. I've just set my heart on learning it, and it's been really disappointing." 

"You've got to learn how to lighten up. Take things as they come, and don't worry so much." 

Karone sighed. "I know, I know. Zhane says the same thing. He told me I think too much, but I can't really help that, either. Before I got to know you all, I was always alone, and when you're alone all the time, you start to think about things so you don't go crazy listening to the emptiness. It's a hard habit to break. Still, thinking is very useful sometimes." She smiled suddenly. " And you know what else?" 

"What?" 

"You're fixing dinner!" Karone laughed as she sprinted down the hall, leaving Ashley to try her best to catch up. 

~*~

Blackwind paced the floor of an empty room, thinking about why he had not yet left Divatox's space base. It seemed a rather strange puzzle. He certainly didn't need a place to live; he was, despite convincing visual evidence to the contrary, still little more than an insubstantial being. He need not fear the elements, not heat nor cold nor any kind of physical danger. He could not be burned or frozen or hurt. He could not be hungry or get tired. As long as his crystals were safe, so was he. No, he didn't need a place to live. 

He didn't need any help, either. He could do what he needed to do on his own - and, indeed, he probably would. Though the pirate queen had offered to do whatever she could to aid his cause, the truth was that there was really nothing she could do for him. His task required nothing more than secrecy and careful planning, and this was best managed by himself. 

It didn't seem likely that he should need her for anything. True, he had been known in the past as a woman chaser, and it was not unusual for him to have a new girlfriend every two or three days. Compared to those he had romanced in the past, Divatox was not anything special to look at; most of his former inamoratas had been far more beautiful. The fact that she was obviously attracted to him shouldn't have made any difference. He was a handsome man of power and wealth, and could easily attract any woman who caught his eye. 

And yet... 

And yet, she was unique, earthy and fiery, without fear or shame, and more completely alive than anyone he had ever know. Much as he hated to admit it, he knew he would stay where he was for an eternity if it meant he didn't have to leave her. 

Surprisingly, the realization left him feeling elated. 

~*~

At the end of a long day, Karone fell gratefully into her bed and closed her eyes to prepare to fall asleep. Still, she had never been able to simply drop off; her overactive mind always wanted to stay up just a little while longer to review the events of the day, and one thing usually led to another, so that it was often hours before she finally drifted into true dreaming. 

Sometimes she thought her mind was like a forest. She hadn't thought much about forests, metaphorical or real, in her old life, but her change in perspective had made her more aware of forests and mountains and oceans...and herself. Now that she had seen and duly noted all of those things, she had decided her mind was like a forest full of twisting paths. Some led to bright places full of life and beauty, while others were dark and dangerous where it was easy to become lost. Some of the paths were barely explored, but some she traveled every day. The picture in her imagination was so clear that sometimes she could almost feel the cushion of dried leaves under her feet, smell the scents of flowers and pine needles, and hear the calls of birds. Some people had an inner sanctuary, where they could go to reflect and find peace, but Karone had an inner forest. There she walked, retracing her steps along favorite old trails. When at last she did sleep, she dreamed of following friends, some known to her in waking, and some only figments of her dream, through a stand of gigantic trees the size of skyscrapers. Strangely, she had a feeling that someone was watching her, and even though her dreams shifted and changed, the feeling stayed with her until morning. 

~*~

It was a rose and three little words that changed the relationship between Blackwind and Divatox. Not the usual three words, of course. Blackwind seldom ever said exactly what he meant, and it probably would have been something of a blow to his pride to have to say, "I love you." Anyway, he doubted she would have believed him. It was too much of a cliche, too hollow to be convincing. It would take something a little different to communicate his message. 

That same night, Divatox found Blackwind still hiding in the shadows. 

"There you are!" she said impatiently. "I've been looking everywhere for you." 

"I've been here all evening, thinking." 

"About what?" 

"Many things," Blackwind replied. "I believe I've found the right person to carry my Mind Crystal." 

"Fine. Who's going to get it this time?" 

"Not one of the Rangers, this time. The Red Ranger's sister is the one... I think they call her Karone." 

"Fabulous! It's about time that little traitor got what's coming to her," said Divatox vehemently. 

"What did she ever do to you?" Blackwind inquired. "She doesn't seem as if she could be of much consequence." 

"If it wasn't for her meddling, I would have been Queen of the Universe by now!" 

"Really? Then I know how you feel," said Blackwind. "If it hadn't been for Dark Specter's trickery, I would have been king." 

"Were you really that powerful?" asked Divatox. It was clear that he had just risen several points in her estimation. Even now that he was gone, Dark Specter's memory still commanded a lot of fear and respect. If Blackwind had been strong enough to pose a threat to Dark Specter, he must have been awesome, indeed! 

"I was... and I will be again when this crystal is recharged," Blackwind replied, holding up the topaz stone. "The Mind Crystal will return my magical powers, and the Blood Crystal..." 

"I can hardly wait," she purred. 

"Then I will begin preparations at once," said Blackwind. He looked at the crystal speculatively. "I have to wonder what it will do to her. She is not as strong as the others, and the process seemed to weaken them badly enough. I don't know if she will have the power to withstand its effects." 

"Who cares about her?" said Divatox. "She deserves whatever she gets." 

"Well, I will go deliver the crystal to her," Blackwind replied. "Will I be seeing you in the morning?" 

"I don't know. You tell me," said Divatox bitterly. 

"What's the matter? Don't you trust me?" 

"I know better than to trust anyone. Men especially." 

"I detect an old grievance. Care to share?" 

In reply, Divatox recited a dismally long list of near-hits and total misses. Blackwind listened with increasing amazement. 

"You poor thing," he said sympathetically. "You're a one-woman true-story magazine.But you have no reason to doubt me. I will return." 

"I don't know about that," she replied. "As far as I know, I'll wake up tomorrow and find out you're long gone, or were never here." 

"Have no fear. I will return." He was gone in a swirl of dark mist. Divatox sighed and walked glumly away. 

Blackwind reappeared in a small, dark room aboard the Astro Megaship. Before him was his chosen carrier, Karone, deep in slumber. Even in her sleep, she had not removed the necklace that was forever around her neck. Perfect. Blackwind held up the Mind Crystal and studied it briefly, seeing it glow ever-so-faintly in the darkness. Focusing the meager powers he presently possessed on the stone, he shrank it down until it was not much larger than a dime. He carefully opened Karone's locket and slipped the sparkling disc inside. He smiled, quite pleased with his handiwork. She would never guess that her most precious possession would be the source of her undoing. Satisfied that all would be well for him, Blackwind vanished again. He had another task to complete. 

The next morning, Divatox awoke to find a single, perfect red rose lying on her pillow. It was accompanied by a note that contained the most touching message she had ever received. In three words, it summed up everything Blackwind wanted to say: "I'm still here." 

~*~

"It's time to wake up, Karone," a voice announced. 

"Leave me alone, DECA. I'm still sleepy." 

"The other Rangers are already awake. Do you want me to tell them to go to Aquatar without you?" 

"All right, all right, I'll get up," said Karone. "Sometimes I wonder how my brother put up with living with you for two years." 

"He did not have any choice." 

Karone dragged herself out of bed, rubbing sleepily at her eyes. "You are the most arrogant machine I've ever met," she said, "and that includes the entire Royal House of Gadgetry." 

Abruptly, all the lights in her room went out. 

"All right, I take it back," said Karone. The lights came back on. Under her breath, she muttered, "You're only the second most arrogant machine I know." 

"I heard that." 

"What do you expect this early in the morning?" 

Later, having dressed and groomed herself, Karone reported to the recreation room, where the other Rangers were just finishing up breakfast. 

"There you are!" T.J. greeted. "We were wondering if you were going to show up." 

"I guess I overslept," said Karone. "I was having this really intense dream..." 

"You can tell us about it later," Andros interrupted. "Right now, you've got to finish eating so we can get ready to travel. The Aquitian Rangers are expecting us in a little while." 

"I'll try to hurry," Karone promised. "I'm looking forward to meeting them. Do they know...you know, who I am?" 

"I didn't see any point in telling them," said Andros. "As far as they're concerned, Astronema has vanished for good." 

"That's good. I'd feel much more comfortable if they only thought of me as the Red Ranger's sister and not a former evil princess," Karone replied. "You know what they say about first impressions. I'd rather they didn't have any preconceived notions about me." 

"They'll like you," Zhane assured her. "How could they not?" 

"Thanks," said Karone. "Could someone please pass the toast?" 

All conversation was ended as the Rangers made preparations for their excursion to the watery planet of Aquatar. 

~*~

Aquatar was, in its way, a beautiful planet. Yet, like a plain but good hearted person, its true beauty was beneath the surface. Above sea level, there were only a few tiny scattered islands that overlooked thousands of miles of featureless ocean. However, beneath those miles of ocean were great and wonderful cities full of amazing people who breathed air but drew their life from the water that was all around them. It was into one of these cities that the Power Rangers traveled. 

The city was a fantastic place. Much of it was made of material like super-strong glass, transparent so that a person could look out at the fish and ocean life. Even the parts that didn't offer a view of the ocean had an aquatic feel to them: a popular building material was a kind of shimmering blue crystalline substance that gave the illusion of shifting waters. At first, staring at it made a person dizzy, but it didn't take long to adapt so that the effect wasn't noticeable unless you happened to be thinking about it. 

The Power Rangers were met near the entrance of the underwater city by the Aquitian Rangers, who introduced themselves as Delphine, Cestro, Tideus, Aurico, and Corkus. They were also accompanied by a shy-looking Aquitian girl they called Cestria. The Aquitian Rangers all wore identical serious expressions, and their companion looked both worried and frightened. 

"It is good you have arrived," said the leader, Delphine. "We have a problem we hope you can assist us with. We have been meaning to attend to it ourselves, but the recent attack on our planet has left us vulnerable, and we feel the most urgent need is to rebuild, so that all our people will be protected." 

"We'll help you in any way we can," Andros replied, "but we also have a mission that we can't possibly abandon. We were told that your friend Billy could help us, and we came here to speak with him." 

"I am afraid that is impossible," said Cestro solemnly. "That is our problem: Billy has disappeared." 

"Disappeared?" T.J. repeated. "When? How?" 

"Two days ago," answered Tideus. "He was doing research on something he thought could become a new and stronger source of power, and he left in search of it." 

"He said he was going to come back in a few hours," said Cestria. "He brought a communication device with him; he would have called if he were only delayed. I fear something must have happened to him." 

"We are all worried," said Delphine, "but we cannot leave our people in their time of weakness. Will you help us?" 

"Of course," Andros promised. "A Ranger is always ready to help a friend in need." 

"We thank you," Delphine replied. "Cestria is more familiar with Billy's plans than the rest of us. She will tell you what you need to know. We will leave you to her guidance. Good luck to you, my friends, and may the Power protect you." 

"Thank you," said Andros. 

"Don't worry," said Cassie. "We won't let you down. Wherever Billy is, we'll find him." 

"I hope so," Cestria said. "I just hope it isn't already too late." 

~*~

A small submarine carried the Rangers and their guide to the surface and set them ashore on a larger-than-average island. Cestria led the team along a paved walkway that brought them to a small house located near a spectacular waterfall. Its mists made bright rainbows in the sunshine. 

"That's his house over there," said Cestria. "He preferred to live on the land." Her tone sounded faintly bemused, as if she couldn't quite comprehend how anyone could want to live out of the water. "Perhaps it was because of the waterfall." 

"It _is_ beautiful," said Ashley. 

"It is more than that," Cestria explained. "Those are the Eternal Falls, a literal fountain of youth. Those who drink their waters are given life and strength. I am one of the guardians of the falls. It is my job to make sure that only those who truly need the water receive it." 

"Including him?" T.J. hazarded. 

Cestria nodded. "An accident caused him to age much faster than the normal rate. The powers of the water of youth are healing him, but the process takes time. Until he is restored to normal, he needs to have regular access to the falls. That is one reason I am so concerned. If the effects of the magical water wear off, he could die of old age in a matter of hours." 

"Well, then, we'd better stop talking and get to work," said Zhane in his usual forthright way. 

"Follow me," Cestria said in reply, and led the way toward the little house. 

Most of the house seemed to be in an unusual state of organized clutter. There were books, papers, and every kind of gadgetry strewn over all available surfaces. Still, they had a look as if someone had been sorting through them, and they were all in their proper groups, if not in the correct spot. The Rangers had to move carefully to avoid stepping on something or knocking something over. 

"Forgive the mess," said Cestria. "When he is working on a project, scientific inquiry takes precedence over cleanliness." 

"What did she say?" whispered Ashley. 

"I'm not exactly sure," Cassie replied. 

The only room in that little house that showed any evidence of real order was evidently a workroom or laboratory of some sort. Crammed between shelves of computers and other machinery was a desk covered with a number of papers, maps, and charts, as well a couple of dusty and battered old books. One book, lying open, showed pages of faded script and a rough illustration. 

"His research," Cestria explained. "Here, read this." She offered the book to Andros. 

"What's it say?" asked Carlos. The Rangers crowded close, trying to read over his shoulder. 

"It's a history book," said Andros. "The words are hard to make out, but I think I can read it... It says something about the war between the Ryrians and the Yatreh-homir." 

"Didn't we study that way, way back in school?" asked Zhane. 

"That wasn't exactly part of our curriculum on Earth," Cassie said. 

"We learned a little about the war on KO-35, but no one knew all that much," Andros replied. "They've been gone for centuries, totally wiped out - back when Zordon was young, if you can imagine that." 

"I remember them," said Karone. "The Ryrians nearly decimated the Yatreh-homir, but the Yatreh-homir discovered the Ryrians' secret weapon and overthrew them." 

"That's right," said Cestria. "The weapon used by the Ryrians has been a mystery for thousands of years, but Billy thought he might have found a clue to where it might be, and he went to Ryr to look for it." 

"Ryr has been uninhabited for centuries," said Andros for his terrestrial friends' benefit. "The Ryrians were a warlike race, and they eventually destroyed themselves. There's nothing left on that planet but barren wastelands and crumbling ruins." 

"Doesn't sound like a friendly place," Cassie commented. 

"It isn't," Karone replied. "I went there once, briefly. A human without supplies and protection could not survive there for long." 

"Billy carried emergency gear, enough to last him this long," said Cestria. "Provided that he hasn't lost them, that should not be a problem." 

"We shouldn't assume anything," T.J. replied. "We had better get out there as soon as possible." 

"Bring his notes with you. They will help you to locate him," Cestria said. 

"Thanks," said Andros. "Don't worry, Cestria. We'll find him." 

"I know you will try your best," she replied. "I should go now. I have been away from my duties for too long. Good luck." Though her voice was controlled, her eyes still showed deep worry. All of the Rangers left the island of the Eternal Falls haunted by the memory of her soulful brown eyes. 

~*~

As soon as they returned to the Astro Megaship, the Rangers set a course for the planet Ryr. It was a journey of several hours, an opportunity to plan...and, for Karone, an opportunity to practice. She really had set her heart on learning telekinesis, and planned to use every opportunity that came up. She stood at one end of a small workroom. At the other end was a table, littered with tools. On either side stood her eager spectators: Andros, Ashley, and Zhane. 

"Come on, you can do it!" Andros encouraged. 

"Shh!" hissed Zhane in a surprising streak of seriousness. "You'll distract her!" 

Karone stared intently at a small pocket scanner that rested on the table, letting the rest of the world drop out of her mind until there was only it and her. At first, nothing happened, and she felt the old sense of frustration welling up in her. Part of her still felt like she could stand and stare at that machine until she was cross eyed, but it was not going to move. She did her best to ignore the little voice, to concentrate, to focus... 

And suddenly, something in her mind seemed to shift and slide everything into a new perspective. She realized in that instant that she didn't have to think about anything. She knew with total certainty that she could tell the scanner to move and it would, just as she could move her own hands. She willed it to move, and it did! Just like that, the little box lifted itself obediently off the table and floated in midair. 

"I did it!" Karone exclaimed excitedly. "I really did it!" 

The scanner dropped an inch, and Andros cautioned, "Don't stop concentrating!" 

Karone turned her attention back to the scanner. Small as it was, it seemed heavy, and she realized she would loose her grip on it if she wasn't careful. Gently, she set it back in its place. 

"Congratulations, Karone! We're proud of you," said Ashley. 

"That was amazing!" Karone said excitedly. "It was just like you said, Andros. I suddenly just _knew_!" 

"Now all you need is practice," said her brother, smiling."I'll have start playing tug-o-war with you, like I did when we were kids." 

The next hour was spent helping her hone her newfound skill, as Andros and Zhane coached her through exercises practiced on KO-35 designed to strengthen telekinetic abilities. Eventually, though, a halt was called so that she could rest. 

"It isn't good for you to strain yourself," Andros cautioned her. "You look like you need a break." 

"He's right," said Zhane. "You do look kind of pale. Are you sure you're feeling all right?" 

"I'm okay, really," she assured them. "I'm just a little tired, that's all. And I have a little headache. I guess it's the excitement." 

"It's time for lunch, anyway," Zhane added. 

"Don't you ever think about anything but eating?" Ashley teased. 

"I'm with him on this one. Breakfast was a long time ago," said Andros. 

The Rangers went to take their noonday meal. Karone ate hers quietly, staring off into space without really looking at anything. The other Rangers noticed this and were concerned. 

"Karone, are you sure you're feeling okay?" asked Andros worriedly. "You don't look so good." 

"I don't know. My head hurts, and I feel sort of dizzy," she admitted. 

"I hope you aren't getting sick," said Zhane. "Maybe you'd better go lie down for a while." 

"That sounds like a good idea," Karone agreed. "I feel like I could use a nap." 

She stood up and walked unsteadily toward the door. Five paces from the table, she fell to the floor, unconscious. 

~*~

Many intrepid adventurers had vanished without a trace in the labyrinthine ruined cities of planet Ryr. Billy, not as adventurous as some, had a nasty feeling he was going to be one of them. The Ryr had been, as Andros had mentioned earlier, a warlike and violent people, and their buildings were full of all kinds of traps to prevent intruders. He hadn't mentioned that to Cestria or any of his other friends when he had left. He hadn't wanted them to worry, because he knew they wouldn't let him go alone and they wouldn't leave their planet in a time of need. They would have tried to make him stay until it was safe for someone to come with him, and he hadn't wanted to wait that long. Now he could have kicked himself for his impatience if there had been room to stand up. 

He had been walking along a corridor of some ancient structure, searching for a sign that he was going in more-or-less the right direction, inspecting the walls, and feeling just the tiniest bit silly, as if he had somehow wandered by mistake into and Indiana Jones movie. However, his inspections must have shaken a weakened foundation somewhere, because he had suddenly heard the scraping of stone, and he had dived out of the way just in time to avoid being crushed as the ceiling caved in. 

The place he had ended up in was a tiny room, either unfinished or partially destroyed; he couldn't tell which. It was too dark to see, for he had dropped his flashlight in his wild dive for safety, as well as his emergency communication device. He assumed they had both been reduced to scrap metal by the fallen masonry, so he didn't waste his energy trying to reclaim them. It was a stroke of good fortune that he had been carrying his food supplies in a backpack, so that they remained safe. They had kept him from going hungry until now...but now his food was nearly gone, and his water was already depleted. He was thirsty... and frightened, which didn't help matters any. Fresh air was being channeled into the chamber somehow, so there was no danger of suffocation, but he was getting claustrophobic in the dark, cramped room. There was nothing for him to do here but sit and think, and his mind conjured up all kinds of terrible images. In other parts of the ruins, he had seen the pitiful remains of those who had come here before, and he feared he would end up like them, nothing more than dried-out skeletons... 

He shoved the thought out of his mind. That wasn't going to happen, he told himself. Cestria knew where he had gone, and she would get worried when he didn't come back. She would get someone to come help him. He would be found. All he had to do was wait. 

Unfortunately, he didn't think he could wait but so long. 

~*~

"What's wrong with her? Is she going to be all right?" Andros asked worriedly. 

"I really don't know," Alpha replied. It was clear that he was almost as worried as Andros. "I've never seen anything quite like this." 

Andros, Zhane, and Alpha 6 were all gathered in the sick bay, keeping a worried vigil over Karone's still form. Also keeping watch were the cold, impersonal machines that monitored her vital signs. The readouts were not good. 

"Some kind of stroke, maybe?" Zhane suggested uncertainly. 

"Nothing like that, as far as I can tell," said Alpha. "All tests say she is perfectly healthy, but for some strange reason she has fallen into a state of intense sleep. You can see, she is dreaming very vividly. But that kind of dream-state shouldn't last more than a few minutes, and it shouldn't have this kind of effect on her systems...at least, not this strongly. Her heartbeat is too fast and too weak, and her breathing is nearly twice what it should be, and still rising. I don't know how much of this she can take. It's not natural." 

"We've got to do something!" Andros exclaimed. 

"I'm doing everything I can," said Alpha sadly, "but so far, nothing has worked." 

"Well, keep trying!" said Andros angrily. Alpha only nodded, knowing that the anger wasn't directed at him. 

The two Rangers were silent for a while, staring at the paralyzed form of the young lady who meant so much to them. She looked terrible, flushed and sweating, and her eyes fluttered rapidly, following the movements of dream-images. Her breathing was fast and shallow. Medicine meant to slow her overactive heart and lungs was being funneled through tubes into her veins. It was not a pleasant picture, and both had the feeling that she was never going to rise again from the table where she now lay. 

"Andros?" a voice called uncertainly. Andros looked up to see Ashley standing in the doorway. He got up and went to her. 

"How is she?" Ashley asked. 

"Not good," said Andros. "Alpha hasn't said it in so many words, but..." his voice broke, and he paused to regain control. "Ashley, she's dying." 

"Oh, no!" Ashley gasped. "Oh, Andros, I'm so sorry." She put her arms around him, and he held her tightly. She couldn't see, but she could feel that he was crying. 

At last, she said, "We're orbiting Planet Ryr now. The others are getting ready to go down, but I'll stay with you if you want me to." 

"No, you'd better go," said Andros, pulling himself together with difficulty. "There's no telling what kind of danger Billy might be in. He may need all of you. Anyway, I kind of want to be left alone right now." 

"I understand," said Ashley. "You'll tell us... you know, what happens, won't you?" 

"Of course." 

Uncertain of what else to do, Ashley kissed him quickly on the cheek and left. Andros returned to his vigil. 

"What about you?" he asked Zhane. "Are you going to go with them?" 

"You aren't getting me to leave," said Zhane. His normally smiling face was grave; he seemed to have aged ten years in the last hour. Andros could see there was no use in arguing. Together, they sat in grim silence, hoping and fearing. 

~*~

Karone was back in her forest once again, wandering its twisting pathways. It seemed rather too warm there. The sun felt too bright, and the air was humid and hard to breathe. From where she stood, there seemed to be a brightly lit road leading uphill to a sunny meadow full of flowers and butterflies. Downhill, the forest grew thicker, dense, green, and shady. She wanted to go to the meadow; she had a vague dream-feeling that someone was waiting for her there. It was someone important, she knew, someone who would be worried if she did not come. She tried to make it up the hill, but the way was rough and steep, and the heat sapped her strength. Collapsing by the side of the road, she tried to think what would be best to do. 

It would be so much easier to go down the hill, she thought. It would be cooler there, and perhaps there would be a stream of cool water to drink. She could stay there until she felt stronger, and then return to the hill. It seemed so right and sensible that she got up to carry out her plan. 

The deep forest was indeed cooler, and the trees were fantastic, towering giants. She stopped to lean against one, feeling the solidity of the wood and the coolness of the moss. Already, she felt better. Her mind was clearing, and she felt more awake. She stared upward, amazed as always at how something that seemed so immobile could sway in the faintest breeze like that. It was pleasant in the green forest, and she wondered if it was really worth the effort of trying to climb a hill in the intense heat. It would be so hot and dry there, with no trees for shade. The deep forest seemed far more tempting. Whoever was waiting for her could wait a little longer, she decided. She set out along the shadowed path that would lead her into the heart of the woods. 

~*~

Meanwhile, back in the sick bay, the watchers heard a change in the rhythmic beeping of one of the machines. 

"Her heartbeat is weakening," said Alpha. "We're losing her!" 

Andros gripped her hand. "Please, Karone! You've got to pull out of it!" He choked as his tears began again. "Please, I can't stand to lose you like this...again..." 

~*~

Many miles below, four uneasy Power Rangers were carefully picking their way through the rubble of a centuries-old structure. T.J. walked in front, alert for any dangers. Cassie followed close behind with a map, acting as navigator. Ashley came next, and finally Carlos, acting as a rear guard. There hadn't been anything living on that planet for thousands of years...but it didn't hurt to be careful. 

"Which way?" asked T.J. 

"Over there," Cassie replied, gesturing in the direction of a half-fallen wall. "There should be an entrance of some sort just beyond that." 

"Better watch your step," Carlos advised. "This place looks like it could fall down if you just looked at it wrong!" He pointed to a deep hole, where the ground had evidently caved in years ago. 

Taking the warning seriously, the small group moved as cautiously and quietly as possible. Just as Cassie had said, there was a downward-leading staircase hidden by the wall. It had once been sealed by doors (the metal hinges were still in evidence) but it was now open to anyone daring enough to enter the passageways below. It looked as if someone had entered not too long ago: dust lay thickly on the stairs, and footprints were still visible. They were so clear, one could even read the word "Reebok" reversed in the dust. 

"Looks like we're headed in the right direction," said T.J. "Ashley, got a flashlight?" 

Ashley clicked on the light and handed it to him, and gave a second one to Carlos, and they made their way into the darkness below. Inside, it was less dusty but still dry, and the air was surprisingly fresh. The people living below the planet's surface had not only been cunning at trapping their enemies, but at making sure they themselves would survive, and the tunnels had been designed to be safe - for them, anyway. For a missing scientist - or for four Power Rangers - there could be any number of dangers. They were thankful that they would at least not have to worry about suffocation. 

T.J.'s light traced careful arcs across the floor, checking the floor for trip-wires, pitfalls, and other traps. The others kept their eyes peeled for signs that someone else had passed by, searching for clues to what direction he had gone. At least, they seemed to be; the reality could have been different. As much as she tried to concentrate, Ashley could not concentrate on the task at hand when she knew that one of her best friends was lying near death somewhere above her. Cassie also seemed subdued, unlike her usual cheerful self. It was hard to tell with Carlos - he seldom looked happy unless he was truly elated - but it was well known that he had been close to Karone. T.J., of course, was a good leader in any situation. He would do what had to be done to prevent anyone else from coming to grief needlessly, but that didn't mean he didn't feel the tragedy as keenly as everyone else. 

Ashley should have been paying more attention to where she was going. The others had seen and avoided a crack in the floor. She didn't, and in the next instant, a hole opened up with a roar, and she shrieked as she dropped out of sight. 

~*~

Karone was cold. It was dark in the forest, and no sunlight penetrated the thick boughs of the immense trees. She felt tiny and lost in this shadowy, frigid place. What had seemed so welcoming moments ago - Had it been moments? She wasn't so sure - now seemed threatening, and she longed for the warmth and light of the sunny meadow. Compounded with that feeling was the increased sense that someone was waiting for her, was frightened beyond reason that she had not come. 

"I've got to get out of here!" she said to herself. Her soft voice was swallowed up by the all-pervading stillness. 

She turned around to retrace her steps...and froze. The path she had followed was gone. The hill was gone. The sunny meadow was gone. Even the brighter part of the forest was gone. All that remained was the dark forest full of thick underbrush and thorn bushes that scratched at her as she tried to move through them. She was trapped! 

"Help!" she called. "Somebody help me!" 

"There is no help here," a voice replied. 

Karone jumped. That voice was familiar, dreadfully familiar, and she did not dare turn to see who had spoken. 

"Look at me!" the voice demanded coldly. "You have chosen darkness, and darkness is what you must have! Look at me!" 

"No! Go away!" Karone cried. 

From somewhere in the shadows, a dark gloved hand reached out and grabbed her face, forcing her to look upward into a pair of penetrating green eyes. Karone felt hear heart skip a beat and the breath caught in her throat. "No!" 

"Yes!" The speaker smiled, a sweet smile that chilled Karone more deeply than the cold air of the forest, more than anything she had ever seen before. It was its familiarity that frightened her: the smile was her own. 

"Who are you?" Karone asked in a terrified whisper. 

"You shouldn't even need to ask," the other person replied. "But I see you don't believe your senses, so I will give you a clear answer: I am that which you once were. I am Astronema, Princess of Evil!" 

"No! It isn't possible!" cried Karone. 

"Anything and everything is possible," Astronema replied. "If you had stayed in the sunlight, I never would have found you, but you came back to me because you are too weak for the light. Now you will be mine forever!" 

"No! No! I won't!" Karone turned and ran deeper into the dark forest, hearing the laughter that was her own and not her own ringing in he ears. 

"You have sealed your own fate! You can't escape me like that! The forest will take you and keep you, and you will be mine for all time!" 

~*~

Far removed from the forest, Andros had no way of knowing what was happening. He could only watch in horror as the readings of his sister's heartbeat grew fainter and fainter until... 

"No!" he whispered. "Oh, please, no!" 

The machine wailed its mournful siren, and Andros broke down and sobbed. 

~*~

The Power Rangers gathered around the hole where Ashley had fallen. 

"Ashley!" T.J. called. "Can you hear me? Are you all right? Say something!" 

"Could you guys hurry up and get me out of here?" came the reply. "I think there might be spiders down here." 

Carlos shined his light down into the hole. Ashley crouched amid piles of rubble, dusty but unhurt. The drop had only been about six feet, not enough to do more than bruise her. 

"Don't scare us like that!" Carlos admonished. 

"Sorry," Ashley apologized. "I think I found a shortcut! What does your map say, Cassie?" 

Cassie checked the chart. "I think you're right. This says there should be a staircase leading down to where you are now. You just saved us some walking." 

With a series of thumps, the remaining three Rangers dropped down next to their friend. T.J. and Carlos beamed their flashlights all around, searching for anything that might indicate they were near their goal. 

"Oh, great," Carlos muttered. "The whole end of the hall is blocked up ahead." 

"That means Billy couldn't have gone past it," said T.J., "unless..." 

Suddenly, they heard a faint voice: "Is somebody out there? Help me! I'm trapped!" 

~*~

Karone stopped running and looked around in puzzlement. She had a feeling as if she had just awakened from a dream. She couldn't quite figure out how she had gotten into this forest. It shouldn't have been real...but it was, and she couldn't find any way out. It was dark and the air was cold, like a winter night, and she was chilled to the bone. She wandered around, half blind, tripping over roots and scraping herself on bramble bushes. Suddenly, she saw a flash of light. Curious, she drew closer to investigate. 

Up ahead, there was a clearing in the forest, and in that was a girl. No, Karone corrected herself, a young woman, perhaps in her early twenties. Her hair was yellow-blond and pulled back in a ponytail to keep it out of her eyes, which were dark brown. She had a pretty, sensitive face, and though she was not exactly beautiful, she looked attractive and strong, and her movements were quick and graceful. She was wielding a sword, evidently practicing, and it flashed as it carved swift arcs through the air. Despite her obvious skill as a warrior, she did not seem to Karone to be threatening. Rather, Karone felt as if this person was a friend. She knew instinctively that she could trust this woman with her life. 

Karone cleared her throat. "Excuse me, ma'am. Could you help me? I'm lost, and I need to find my way back to my friends." 

"Lost?" repeated the woman. She turned to see who had spoken. "Karone! Oh, my stars, what are you doing back again so soon? You know you don't belong here!" She stared at Karone, looking shocked and worried. 

"I don't remember ever being here," said Karone, puzzled. "Who are you? How do you know my name?" 

"You don't remember? No, I guess you don't," the woman replied. "You are a long way from home, dear child. I hope I will be able to guide you back where you belong." 

"You do know me, then?" 

"Yes. I know you very well. I've known you all your life, though I'm sure you don't know me. My name is Ilsabette." 

"Ilsabette. That's pretty," said Karone. "Do you know the way back to the meadow? Somebody is waiting for me there, I think." 

"I know the way to all places," Ilsabette replied, "but I don't think you have the strength to travel that road. Your brother and your friend Zhane await you, and are frightened by your absence. They believe you are lost forever...and they could be right. You have wandered along dark paths, and the way back will be difficult. I feel an evil force draining your strength. It will be dangerous, more dangerous than you could possibly imagine, but I may be able to guide you back. You can choose to stay here, if you like. You will be safe here, but I do not think this is where you belong. Still, the decision is yours." 

"I want to do back to my friends," Karone said. 

Ilsabette nodded. "A good choice. You have gained much wisdom of late." 

"Yes. Thank you." 

Ilsabette brushed the remark aside. "I do not mind talking to you, but if you want to return to the place from whence you came, you will have to hurry. There is not a lot of time. I know you do not feel it, but you are losing strength rapidly. The dark force drains you, and it will not be long before you are too weak to escape." 

"Lead the way, Ilsabette." 

Ilsabette sheathed her sword, and set out into the deep shadows of the forest. Karone trailed behind. Soon, they struck a path, and Karone tried to strike up a conversation. 

"You say there is a dark force draining my strength," she began. "I ran into someone like Princess Astronema back there, and she said I was too weak to escape, too. Can you explain that?" 

"This is a place on the boundary of two planes of existence," Ilsabette replied. "It is a world composed partly of reality and partly of dreams. What you saw was a manifestation of your own self-doubts. What you believe often becomes real, here, or a least seems to." 

"Are you real?" 

"I am. I came here much as you did, and wandered deep into the shadows. But I did not get lost as you did. I found my way to the end of the labyrinth and could have gone beyond, but I chose instead to remain as a guide for other lost souls...like you." 

"You seem so familiar to me, but I can't place you." 

"We have met before, but you do not remember. I think I only seem familiar to you because I remind you of someone you know," Ilsabette replied. 

"That could be it." Karone looked around her nervously. "I don't like this place, Ilsabette. How much farther do we have to go?" 

"I'm not exactly sure," admitted Ilsabette. For the first time, she seemed to soften a little, seem more human. She almost smiled."This is not the kind of thing I usually do, you know. I'm much better at helping people in than guiding them out again." 

"There's something moving in those trees," said Karone suddenly. 

"Don't look at it!" 

"But what if it attacks us?" 

"If you think about it too hard, it will attack you!" said Ilsabette. "Remember what I just said? This is a place where fears come to life! I see now, something is tampered with your mind. You must get control of it if you want to escape this place!" 

"I don't know if I can!" 

"You must!" 

Suddenly, there was a flash of silver, and then another. A swarm of metallic creatures carrying blades with serrated edges came leaping out of the darkness of the forest. 

"Quantrons!" Karone exclaimed. 

"Tell them to leave," Ilsabette ordered. 

"I can't! They won't obey me anymore!" 

"They are only manifestations of your own fears. Banish your fear, and you banish the monsters. If you do not conquer your fear, it will destroy you, and you will be trapped here for all time!" 

Karone watched the silver-and-black robots, and they stared back at her with dark and malevolent eyes. She stared at them and thought of her brother and her other dear friends waiting for her beyond the dark forest. Thinking of them made her feel secure again, and she spoke. 

"Get out of my way, Quantrons," she said. "You can't keep me here! I'm a Power Ranger, whether you like it or not, and I'm coming through!" She took a determined step forward. The robots backed off. She took a few more steps, and they fled back into the shadows. 

"Very good, Karone!" said Ilsabette. She was smiling, making her seem much less formidable than she had moments before. "I am proud of you." 

"Thanks," Karone replied. "Can we get out of here now?" 

Ilsabette nodded. "We can try. I must admit, I will be sorry, in a way, to see you go. I would like for us to get to know each other better." 

"I thought you said you knew me already." 

"I do know you, in a way. I have watched you. I have tried to help you when I could, but my power is limited beyond this place," Ilsabette replied. 

"Hmmm," said Karone, for want of a better reply. "I think I'd like to know you better, too. For some reason, I feel like you are a friend." 

"I am, and more than that," Ilsabette replied cryptically. "Come along, now. Time is of the essence." 

Karone followed along obediently, and together, they trekked ever deeper into the dark forest. 

~*~

It took only a short while for the four Power Rangers to dig away the rubble that had trapped Billy in the tiny room. Very soon, he was free again, looking dusty and bedraggled but otherwise healthy. 

"I've never been so glad to see anybody," he said to his rescuers. "I was afraid I'd be trapped down here forever!" 

"We're glad we could help," said T.J. "Did you find what you were looking for?" 

"Not yet," Billy replied, "and I don't know if I'm going to. This place is just too dangerous. I don't think it's worth the risk." 

"Hey guys!" Carlos interrupted. He was shining his flashlight into the tiny chamber. "Look at this! I found some kind of door, and there's writing on the wall." 

"Let me see!" Billy exclaimed. He moved in for a closer look. "I think this could be what I'm looking for!" 

Illuminated by Carlos's flashlight, a door could be seen, pushed slightly ajar but half- buried in fallen stone. From it, a small stir of fresh air could be felt. It was what had kept Billy from suffocating, but he had been unable to see it in the dark. Now he was pushing the rubble aside, trying to make it open. 

"Hey, you don't know what's down there!" T.J. protested. 

"This will only take a second," said Billy. "I only want to look." 

Before anyone could stop him, he had shoved the door open wide enough to squeeze through. The Rangers had no choice but to follow him into the darkness. 

~*~

As Karone and Ilsabette progressed through the forest, it seemed to become more and more dreamlike, and yet Karone felt as if she were waking up, becoming more alert and focused. A thin mist rose up that steadily thickened, until the trees were almost blocked out by a nearly impenetrable fog. 

"We are nearing the way out," Ilsabette explained. "Look, up ahead! You can see the gate from here!" 

Karone strained her eyes, trying to see through the fog. Ahead of them, the path seemed to be blocked by a tall white wall that seemed to stretch off into infinity and become lost where the mist met the clouds. It's only distinguishable feature was something that looked like a round metal door. At first, she thought it was only a trick of the light, but as she drew nearer, she realized that the door was glowing faintly gold around the edges. 

"Is that what we're looking for?" she asked. 

Ilsabette nodded. "Your journey is nearly at it's end. All you have to do now is open the door and pass through." 

"Thank you so much for helping me, Ilsabette," Karone said. "I don't know how I could ever repay you." 

"No payment required," said Ilsabette. "Do you know why I chose to act as guide and guardian in this place?" 

"No. Why?" 

"Because I knew that you would be needing me someday. I chose to be here because of you." 

Karone was too surprised to think of a reply, so she continued walking in silence until they reached the gate. Ilsabette reached out and tried the handle. 

"It is locked," she said softly. 

~*~

Andros felt someone shaking him. He looked up and saw Zhane looking back at him with a strange mixture of fear and excitement. 

"Andros, look!" he exclaimed. "Her heart's started again!" 

Amazed, hardly daring to hope, Andros looked at the little machine that had been measuring his sister's heartbeat. It had been unresponsive a moment ago; now it was registering a very faint pulse of life. 

"Come on, Karone!" he whispered. "Come back to me! Please, try to come back..." 

~*~

"Locked!" Karone exclaimed. "You mean I can't get out? Am I going to be trapped here forever?" 

"Perhaps...perhaps there is still a chance," said Ilsabette. "It is only locked on this side. Andros could possibly open it for you. He has the key." 

"What key?" 

"The locket," Isabette replied. "It is an object of greater power than you know. Even when you lost everything else, you never lost your locket." 

For the first time, Karone realized that her precious necklace was missing. "I don't have it anymore! It's gone!" 

"It is not gone, only changed, like so many other things in this place. But Andros can help you. You must call to him and make him unlock the door." 

Karone faced the gate again. It's golden light seemed to have brightened. "Andros! Andros, do you hear me! I need you to open the door! Use the locket and open it!" She screamed as loudly as she could, and the words seemed to be snatched up by a wind and blown away. 

~*~

"...Andros..." 

Andros heard the softest of whispers calling his name. 

"Karone?" he asked anxiously. "Karone, can you hear me?" 

"Andros..." she whispered. "...open...the locket...open it..." 

Puzzled, Andros did as he was told. Carefully, he took the gold disc and opened the lid. Something small and shiny fell to the floor with a _clink_. Andros picked it up and studied it. 

"A crystal! Of course!" he exclaimed. He checked the machine again. "Look! I think she's coming around!" 

~*~

Karone saw the gate open, and the forest was suddenly flooded with light. It was too bright for anything to be clearly seen. Ilsabette, standing full in the light, was almost invisible. 

"Go! Hurry!" she was shouting. 

"Ilsabette! Will you come with me?" 

"I cannot...this is my place. I belong here, and you belong in your own world." 

"At least tell me I'll see you again!" 

Ilsabette's voice sounded almost sad. "I promise, Karone. Go now." 

"Goodbye! I'll never forget you." With those final parting words, Karone passed through the gate... 

~*~

It was dark. Her head hurt. Someone was calling her name. 

"Karone! Karone, can you hear me? Wake up!" 

"Andros..." she said weakly. She realized the darkness was due to the fact that her eyes were closed. When had she done that? She opened them with difficulty. "Zhane! Andros! Where am I? What happened to Ilsabette?" 

"Ilsabette?" Andros repeated, looking worried. "Where did you hear that name?" 

"She was with me...I was lost, and she rescued me..." Karone trailed off. She sat up and looked around. "It was all just a dream, wasn't it?" 

"No..." Andros replied. "You really were lost. But the important thing is, you're back, and you're all right." 

"I was scared I would never see you again," said Karone. 

"So were we," Zhane replied. "I'm glad you're back!" 

Karone received hugs and kisses from both her favorite men, and even got a hug from Alpha 6. The celebration was cut short, however, by the arrival of an unwanted visitor. 

"Very touching," a voice said. Everyone turned to see Blackwind lurking in a corner. He moved smoothly over to where his Mind Crystal had fallen and picked it up. "Fully charged! It seems your stamina is greater than I thought, young lady." 

"You monster! You nearly killed her!" Andros shouted angrily. 

"Regrettable, but it couldn't be helped," answered Blackwind. "I consider her well-being secondary to my own." 

"You're going to pay for hurting Karone," Zhane threatened. He and Andros leaped forward to attack Blackwind...and passed through him as if he wasn't even there. 

"You two are very foolish," said Blackwind. "You can't hurt me. I can hurt you, though... but I won't." He looked thoughtfully at the crystal. "I have more important matters to attend to." With a swirl of dark mist, he vanished. 

"Don't worry, Andros," said Zhane comfortingly. "We'll get him some other time." 

"The sooner, the better," Andros replied. 

"Andros, can I ask you something?" Karone inquired. "Who is Ilsabette? You acted like you knew her." 

"I don't really want to talk about it," answered Andros. "It's too much, right now. Maybe later." He glanced at his watch; he had lost track of time. "The others should have been back by now. We ought to call them and make sure everything is okay... and let them know you're all right." 

Andros turned to leave, and Karone began to follow him, only to have Zhane stop her. 

"I can tell you who Ilsabette is," he said. 

"Who?" 

"Andros told me about her once," Zhane replied. "She's your sister. She died in an accident before Andros was born." 

~*~

"It's dark in here!" Ashley complained. The thin beams of the flashlights didn't do much to illuminate the stygian darkness. 

"Well, you're the one carrying the tools," T.J. answered. "Set up the lantern." 

"Oh, yeah. Right." 

There were sounds of a zipper being unzipped, and then a few metallic clicks and squeaks. Suddenly, a brilliant ball of light seemed to explode into being, and everyone had to shade their eyes for a moment. In a minute or two, however, the blinding light seemed to dim to a reasonable level. Now, they could see everything clearly in its bright golden glow. They were in a large room full of shelves. Resting on the shelves, still intact even after all those centuries, were dozens of books. While the Power Rangers made a systematic search for dangers, Billy made a systematic search of the books. 

"Find anything?" Carlos inquired. 

"Almost," Billy replied. "I'm looking for the records they made of the war. There should be something that tells what happened to the weapons they used. It's got to be around here somewhere...aha!" Carefully, he pulled a thick book from the shelf and leafed through it. The dryness of the subterranean room had left it in remarkably good condition. "This is it! It will take some time for me to fully translate it, but I think this will tell me what I need to know." 

"Great," said T.J. "Now that that's taken care of, we really need to get out of here." 

Everyone nodded, remembering Karone. 

"I agree," Billy said. "Uh...do you think you could give me a lift back to Aquatar?" 

"Sure thing," T.J. replied. "Prepare to teleport!" 

The five teenagers vanished in multicolored streaks of light. 

~*~

Upon reaching the Megaship, the first person they encountered was Andros, on his way to the bridge. 

"You're back!" he exclaimed. "I was just about to call you." 

"Everything went smoothly," T.J. replied. 

"So...how's Karone?" asked Ashley anxiously. 

Andros smiled one of his rare smiles. "Why don't you ask her?" 

Just then, Karone came around a corner and saw everyone standing there. "Hi, guys!" she greeted cheerfully. "What's up?" 

"You're alive!" Carlos exclaimed. 

"Of course I am! Bad habits are hard to break!" she said playfully. 

"Uh...did I miss something?" asked Billy. 

"Never mind," Andros replied. "We had a problem, but it's over now. By the way, I'm Andros. You must be Billy." 

"Right. I'm pleased to meet you." They shook hands. "This ship is incredible! You wouldn't happen to have the plans for it, would you?" 

"No. Ask Zordon. He's here, and he's the one who designed it." 

"I'll do that," said Billy. "I haven't had a chance to talk to him in a long time." 

"Speaking of designs," T.J. interrupted, "tell him about your idea, Andros." 

"Oh, yes, of course," said Andros. "Billy, we were told that you were good at inventing machinery. Would you be willing to help us design a new home for Zordon? He isn't safe here on the ship; it's too vulnerable to attack. What he really needs is a permanent hiding place, fortified against attack." 

"Hmm," Billy mused, looking thoughtful. "That might be possible. I've studied the plans for the Power Chamber and the Command Center. I think I could manage something suitable for your requirements." 

"We've got some rough plans worked out already," said Andros. "We'd appreciate it if you would take a look at them." 

"Lead the way," Billy replied. 

Moments later, the Rangers were gathered around the table in the rec room, watching as Billy perused the papers spread out before him. 

"This is a good start," he said. "Now, what I would suggest is..." He took a pencil from his pocket and set it scratching across the paper in swift, sure movements. Everyone watched closely as his plans took shape in the margins and blank areas of the paper. The eraser went to work, too, subtracting superfluous details as the necessary ones were added. The rough sketches were soon honed into smooth and complete-looking diagrams. Though Andros and Carlos watched with understanding, the less technical-minded Rangers eventually wandered away, leaving their other friends deep in discussion over solar panels and geothermal energy converters. 

"It's been a wild day, hasn't it?" Zhane remarked to Karone. "I was really scared back there. We thought you were a goner for sure." 

"I thought so, too, for a while," Karone replied. "I don't know what I would have done if it hadn't been for Ilsabette." 

"Did you really see her?" asked Zhane. "Not that I don't believe you or anything, but..." 

"I know what you mean. She was real, though. She told me I would see her again, someday. I have to wonder what she meant," Karone said thoughtfully. "I can't believe I have a sister! I wish you could have met her, Zhane. I know you would like her." 

"Maybe I shouldn't," Zhane replied, feigning seriousness. "One of you is all I can deal with!" 

Karone laughed. "Leave it to you to put things in that perspective!" 

"You shouldn't take life too seriously," said Zhane. "That's how I feel, anyway." 

"You could be right," Karone replied. "Anyway, aside from meeting Ilsabette, I did get one benefit from carrying Blackwind's crystal." 

"Oh? What was that?" 

Karone fixed her gaze on a cup sitting on the table, and smiled triumphantly as it rose into the air. 


End file.
